xotes vs Capacities: a commonplace book or a knowledge base
A linked knowledge base, or one calm book.
Capacities and xotes both appeal to people who collect ideas. Both have a real free plan. Both use AI where it helps.
They are built on different ideas of what a collection should be.
Capacities calls itself a studio for your mind. Notes become objects, such as a book, a person, or an idea, and they link to each other in a growing network you can explore.
xotes is a modern commonplace book. Entries go into one book, sorted by category and tags, and you find them by searching or by reading straight through.
The short version
- Choose Capacities if you think in connections and want to build a linked knowledge base, with tasks and calendar in the same place.
- Choose xotes if you want a simple, calm place to keep what matters, with as little upkeep as possible.
At a glance
| xotes | Capacities | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, unlimited journaling, 15 Sorts and 2 Scans a month | Yes, unlimited notes, no AI |
| Paid plans | Core $7/month, Pro $10/month | Pro $9.99/month billed yearly ($11.99 month to month), Believer from $12.49/month |
| Structure | One book, with categories and tags | Object types, links, backlinks, and a graph |
| Linking notes | No | Yes, at the core of the app |
| Kindle import | Yes, from a clippings file on every plan | Yes, on Pro |
| Apps | Web app that installs to your phone; native iOS and Android coming | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, with offline support |
Where Capacities is stronger
Connections. Backlinks, daily notes, and a graph view are all on the free plan. If you want to see how an idea from March relates to a book from June, Capacities is built for exactly that. xotes does not link entries to each other.
Structure. Custom object types let you give a book an author field, or a person a role. You can shape your collection to fit how you think.
Breadth. Pro adds tasks, calendar integration, Readwise and Kindle import, and an AI assistant.
Apps. Native apps on every major platform, with offline support.
Where xotes is stronger
Less to maintain. A linked knowledge base rewards care: choosing types, adding links, tending the graph. xotes asks for less. Write the entry, tap Sort, and xotes suggests a title, category, and tags you can edit.
AI on the free plan. Capacities keeps its AI features on paid plans. xotes Free includes 15 Sorts and 2 Scans every month.
Pages from paper books. Photograph a page and Scan turns it into text. On Core and Pro, Split turns one page into a separate entry for each quote or idea.
A book you can read. Reading mode lays your entries out like one long article. A graph is good for exploring. A book is good for rereading.
Your notes come back to you. Once a day, revisit shows you one of your own entries again, on every plan, with no setup. Add a note under it and your second thought sits next to your first.
Price, side by side
Capacities Basic is free. Pro is $9.99 a month billed yearly, or $11.99 month to month. Believer starts at $12.49 a month, and Pro+ adds a larger AI budget for $8.33 a month.
xotes Free is free. Core is $7 a month and Pro is $10 a month, with unlimited Sorts and Scans and automatic Readwise sync on Pro. The pricing page has the details.
Which one
If you want your notes to form a web you can wander through, Capacities is one of the best tools for it. If you want a book that is easy to keep and pleasant to return to, xotes is built for that.
Prices checked October 2026. Check each app's pricing page for current details.