Should you build your own Craft?
Write visually polished documents, link them, and export a portable personal library
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Craft, write visually polished documents, link them, and export a portable personal library. The hard boundary is native apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish, plus sync, collaboration, and capture polish.
ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.
Build a personal replacement for Craft 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: write visually polished documents as linked notes, search them instantly, surface backlinks, and export the personal library as 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 opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running. · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
What would building your own look like?
Write visually polished documents as linked notes, search them instantly, surface backlinks, and export the personal library as a normal Markdown folder.
What you will need
- macOS, Windows, or Linux
- local folder access
- optional sync folder chosen by the user
People still pay for Craft because people keep paying when the note system is trusted across every device and disappears into their daily capture habits. The recurring cost buys file watching, conflict handling, indexing, mobile apps, encryption, backups, and migrations, not just the visible interface.
xnative apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish
xfrictionless mobile capture
xreal-time team editing
xhosted publishing
xproprietary AI memory
Prefer something ready-made?
AppFlowyA portable document workspace that trades Craft's sheen for local control.Open source↗
AFFiNEPolished documents, links and canvases, with local workspaces and usable exports.Free↗
ObsidianLinked documents in ordinary Markdown; beautiful publishing is your own department.Free↗View all 3 alternatives to Craft →· Licença, instalação e limitações em cada alternativa.
How much does Craft cost?
- Monthly billing
- $10/mo$10/mo
- Per year
- $120/yr$120/yr
- Annual billing
- $96/yr20% cheaper than paying monthly
- On a Brazilian card, with 3.5% IOF
- R$52.26/moR$502/yr
Saved to My list. You will see a notice on this site when the price changes.
You complete the purchase on Craft’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| starter | $0/user | $0/user | 1,500 content blocks; 1 GB storage; 25 MB/file; 7-day version history; 15 AI credits |
| plus | $10/user≈ $10 | $8/user≈ $8 | Unlimited documents; 5 spaces; 1 TB/space; 5 GB/file; 30-day history; 50 AI credits/month |
| family | $18≈ $18 | $15≈ $15 | 2–6 accounts total; 5 shared family spaces; each member gets Plus and 5 personal 1 TB spaces |
| team | $60≈ $60 | $50≈ $50 | Up to 10 members; 25 shared team spaces; every member gets Plus and 5 personal 1 TB spaces |
| education | $0/user | $0/user | Eligible students/educators: unlimited documents; 5 spaces; 250 GB total; 1 GB/file; 15 lifetime AI credits |
| larger teams | custom | - | More than 10 members; custom seat/space terms |
Free tierStarter: 1,500 blocks, 1 GB storage, 25 MB/file, 7-day history and 15 AI credits
Billing termsmonthly + annual; direct subscriptions have a 14-day refund window; App Store/Setapp terms differ
Additional costsFamily and Team are flat bundles with hard member ceilings (6 and 10 total). AI is credit-limited even on paid plans. Education requires yearly re-verification; larger teams need a quote.
verified 2026-08-13 · source ↗
Is it cheaper to build or buy Craft?
Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.
Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.
Starting hours estimated from the analysis (one sitting). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).
Can I rebuild Craft?
Kinda. The core of Craft is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: native apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish, frictionless mobile capture. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Craft cost?
Craft costs about $10/mo (Plus, checked 10/20/2026), which is $96 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Craft?
Honestly: native apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish; 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 Craft?
Yes: AppFlowy (A portable document workspace that trades Craft's sheen for local control.) AFFiNE (Polished documents, links and canvases, with local workspaces and usable exports.) Obsidian (Linked documents in ordinary Markdown; beautiful publishing is your own department.) All 3 curated free alternatives are at https://viberadar.si/craft/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.