Commonplace

A local-first
Markdown vault.

Your notes are plain Markdown files on your machine. Works in the browser or as an installable desktop app. No accounts, no cloud, no lock-in.

Try in browser Download for desktop View on GitHub

Commonplace is an open-source note-taking app inspired by Obsidian. The vault is a folder of Markdown files you own — the app is a viewer, editor, and indexer on top of them. Run it in your browser for a quick trial, or install the desktop build for full filesystem access.

Features

  • Markdown editor

    Plain-text editing with live preview and a split view.

  • Wikilinks & backlinks

    Link notes with [[wikilinks]]. Backlinks update automatically.

  • Graph view

    Visualize how your notes connect, with neighborhood filtering.

  • Command palette

    Jump to any note, run an action, switch a vault — all from the keyboard.

  • Multi-vault

    Keep separate projects in separate folders. Switch between them instantly.

  • Local-first

    No backend, no account, no sync server. Plain files in a folder you own.

Screenshot — main view
Screenshot — graph view

Get started

Try the browser version

No install. Open the app in this tab and start a vault in seconds.

Open the app

Install the desktop app

Full filesystem access, file watching, and offline use. Builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Download from Releases