Users pay for capture that happens — a mobile client that is never the bottleneck, sync they trust, and daily notes wired to their calendar — because a knowledge base only works if nothing about it is annoying.
REPLACEMENT BRIEF
notes & knowledge
Can AI replace Capacities?
Typed objects — people, books, meetings — with links, search, and backlinks is a buildable personal knowledge base, and the object model is a genuinely good idea to copy. The product's depth is the polish around it: frictionless mobile capture, sync, calendar integration, and an AI layer — the craft that decides whether you still use it in a year.
Capture linked notes as typed objects such as people, books, meetings, and ideas, search them instantly, surface backlinks, and export a normal Markdown folder.
Build the personal version →AT A GLANCE
- price
- $12/mo
- listed annual price
- $144/yr
- replaceable scope
- personal local knowledge base
- build time
- one sitting
Build promptcatalog estimate
the prompt
Catalog estimateBuild a personal replacement for Capacities in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and Markdown files as the source of truth; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: capture linked notes as typed objects such as people, books, meetings, and ideas, search them instantly, surface backlinks, and export a normal Markdown folder. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Store one Markdown file per note and a small SQLite index that can be rebuilt at any time. Support wiki links, tags, backlinks, daily notes, pinned notes, and full-text search. Add a fast command palette and keyboard-first create, rename, move, and link actions. Render Markdown with task lists, code blocks, tables, and local image attachments. Detect external file changes and show a safe conflict-resolution view. Provide full-folder export, import, and an index-rebuild command. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out proprietary sync servers. Deliberately leave out real-time multiplayer documents. Deliberately leave out a plugin marketplace and hosted public sites. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used.
The prompt stays readable first. Choose a launch option when you are ready.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw · suggest a correction
what AI can build
Capture linked notes as typed objects such as people, books, meetings, and ideas, search them instantly, surface backlinks, and export a normal Markdown folder.
Editorial catalog estimate · not a completed build
The honest tradeoff
why people still pay
what you lose
xobject-model polish, mobile capture, sync, calendar integration, and AI features
xfrictionless mobile capture
xreal-time team editing
xhosted publishing
xproprietary AI memory
Start with existing software
prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd rather
EVIDENCE LEDGER
What this page can prove
The verdict judges replaceability. The evidence level records what DeepFeather actually checked.
Editorial catalog estimate · not a completed build
Pro · monthly
known limits · object-model polish, mobile capture, sync, calendar integration, and AI features; frictionless mobile capture
BUILD FEEDBACK
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questions
Can AI replace Capacities?
Likely for the core workflow, based on an editorial catalog judgment. This entry is not a verified build yet; use the prompt as a starting point and validate the result against your own acceptance criteria.
How much does Capacities cost?
Capacities is listed at about $12/month (Pro, checked 2026-07-31), or $144 per year. This is a pricing reference, not evidence of a completed replacement or realized savings.
What do I lose by replacing Capacities?
Honestly: object-model polish, mobile capture, sync, calendar integration, and AI features; frictionless mobile capture; real-time team editing; hosted publishing; proprietary AI memory. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Capacities?
Yes — AppFlowy (Active open-source workspace with local-first documents and databases.). Using prior art is also a valid exit; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.