Opportunities › Open-source note-taking with transparent sync › Proposed app
Leafnote
Markdown notes with open, readable sync you can self-host
- Score
- 48
- confidence 51
- Evidence
- 3
- items on the page
- Rivals
- 1
- named in sources
- First version
- 45 d
- estimate
- Type
- Desktop and mobile
- PWA: on computers and phones alike
- Market since
- 2020
- Established market · AI estimate
ScreensConcept
Desktop and mobile: Notes are taken on the go via phone capture, but serious writing, linking, and knowledge management happen at a desk; both contexts are core to the workflow. Sample screens on a computer and a phone, in the proposed brand. Their numbers are sample data.
Today
Saved to your folder- Note2026-10-22.md
About this appAI proposal
Leafnote is a note-taking app that keeps every note as a plain Markdown file. There is no hidden database. Open your folder in any editor and everything is there, readable and complete.
Sync is part of the product, not an add-on. The sync protocol and client are open source, so you can read how your notes move, run your own server, or use our hosted one. Local sync between your own devices is free.
It is for knowledge workers and note-takers who want links, daily notes and search, and who do not want to depend on a vendor changing its format or pricing. We charge only for hosting and collaboration.
- Tagline
- Notes in plain files. Sync you can read.
- Voice
- PlainHonestCalm
- Why this name
- A leaf is a page and a plain thing that grows from a root. Plain files stay yours; the name says so without jargon.
In the first version
Members say which features they would use. It tells PWAS what people want; it changes no score.
Plain Markdown files
Every note is a .md file in a folder you own. Links and tags use standard syntax, so other tools can open them.
No member yet
Open, inspectable sync
The sync protocol and client are open source. A sync log shows every change sent and received, in readable form.
No member yet
Self-host or hosted
Run the sync server yourself for free, or use our hosted one. Switch either way by changing one address.
No member yet
Backlinks and daily notes
Link notes with [[double brackets]], see what links back, and start each day on a dated page.
No member yet
Brand identityAI proposal
Check the name against trademark registers before using it.
Palette
#F6F1E7Paper · surface#1F2A27Ink · text#2F6B4FMoss · primary#C8643BClay · accent#CFDCCBSage · data
Typography
Aa
Leafnote
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789
Notes in plain files. Sync you can read.
Fraunces for headlines and numbers, Figtree for everything else.
PricingAI proposal
The material gives no competitor prices. These tiers are a starting point to test; the core app and sync code stay free and open source.
Local
Free
- Unlimited notes in plain Markdown
- Local sync between your devices
- Self-host the sync server
- Import and export anytime
Hosted
$5 a month
- Hosted sync on all devices
- Version history, 90 days
- Published pages
- Email support
Team
$8 a month
- Shared folders and permissions
- Per-person price
- Everything in Hosted
- Shared published pages
What it could be worthEstimate
What a software business making this much sells for today, from real deals. Pick a monthly revenue.
If it makes
Worth about
$194,000
Sale range $132,000 to $263,000
$120,000 a year in revenue
From 87 software businesses listed and sold on Empire Flippers in the last year, revenue vetted by the broker: they sell for about 19× their monthly revenue, most between 13× and 26×.
Measured on profit, the middle deal is 32× monthly net profit: about 2.7 years of profit.
An estimate, not an offer or financial advice. A real price depends on profit, growth, churn, how much of the work is the owner's, and the buyer.
How it would growAI proposal
How the product would reach new customers through its own use, and how the first ones would be found. A plan to test, not a result.
- Built-in loop
- Shared outputs. Users publish notes or small folders as read-only web pages with a link. Readers see the page with a small 'Written in Leafnote' footer and an option to fork the notes into their own folder.
- Do they become customers?
- Readers are often note-takers themselves and could become users, but this is unproven. Test how many readers who open a shared page install the app and start a folder.
- First customers
- Existing Logseq and other Markdown-note users who care about open formats and self-hosting, working alone as developers, researchers or writers.
- Where to reach them
- Hacker News and Reddit: Post an open-source repo and a short write-up of the sync protocol in communities where lock-in is being discussed.
- Self-hosting communities: Offer a one-command server setup and ask for feedback in self-hosted software forums.
- Open-source repo: Publish the code and an import guide for Logseq-style folders to draw in people searching for alternatives.
- First milestone
- Fifty people syncing a real notes folder for a month and twenty-five paying for hosted sync.
Why people already pay for this
- Public claimLogseq shifted from open Markdown format to proprietary database and monetized sync
- Public claimLogseq: $761,833.33 USD total raised on Open Collective (2026-10)
- Public claimLogseq: Estimated annual budget $238,192.74 USD (2026-10)
Tech stack
Every proposal builds on the same PWA base, installable from the browser on any phone or computer. Dashed boxes are what this app adds.
- AppNext.js and TypeScript
- PWAManifest and service worker
- UITailwind CSS
- Data and authSupabase Postgres
- PaymentsStripe
- EmailResend
- HostingVercel
- This app · Sync serverOpen-source file sync service, self-hostableLets users run their own server and read the protocol; hosted version runs the same code.
- This app · Local storageBrowser file-system access with offline cacheKeeps notes as real files on the device and available offline.
RisksAI inference
- TechnicalReliable sync of plain files across devices, including conflicts and renames, is hard, and a PWA has limited access to local folders on some browsers and phones.
- CommercialOpen-source sync with free self-hosting may leave few people willing to pay for hosting. Willingness to pay is unproven.
- PlatformBrowser file-system access and background sync differ across iOS and desktop browsers, so offline behavior may be uneven.
- CommercialExisting tools with large user bases and plugins may be hard to move people away from, even with open formats.
Everything marked AI proposal or AI inference was written by a model from the evidence on the opportunity page. The proposed name must be checked against trademark registers before it is used.