You can embed almost anything: local videos, PDFs, websites (rendered live), code blocks, even spreadsheets. These embeds are interactive within the canvas—no need to open external windows for basic viewing.
Rating: 4.2/5 Best for: Researchers, writers, students, and visual thinkers who feel constrained by linear note-taking apps. Platforms: Windows, macOS (Linux via community builds). Overview Weave Desktop is not your average note-taking app. At its core, it’s a spatially infinite whiteboard where every node can be a note, a link, an image, a code snippet, or a webpage. Unlike tools like Notion or Obsidian, Weave doesn’t force you into folders or markdown hierarchies. Instead, it embraces the “spatial” metaphor: you organize by placing information where it makes visual sense to you. The Good (Pros) 1. True Non-Linearity Most PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) apps claim to be non-linear but still rely on backlinks or graph views. Weave’s canvas is immediate. You can zoom out to see a “map” of your project, or zoom in to edit details. It’s like a mix of Miro (whiteboard) and Roam Research. weave desktop
Weave runs on your machine, not a cloud server. Files are saved in a simple, open format (JSON + assets). This makes it blazing fast and privacy-respecting. Syncing is your responsibility (via Dropbox, Syncthing, or git), which some will love, others hate. You can embed almost anything: local videos, PDFs,
It excels as a spatial sketchpad for complex ideas —planning a thesis, designing a game world, mapping a software architecture, or organizing a messy creative project. However, its lack of mobile access, weak search, and niche community keep it from mainstream adoption. Platforms: Windows, macOS (Linux via community builds)
Recommended with caveats. Try the free trial first, and be prepared to change your note-taking habits.
You can color-code nodes, group them with freehand shapes, and add tags. The “focus mode” temporarily hides everything outside a selected group—great for large canvases.
Searching across all canvases is text-based only. You cannot search by color, node type, or recent edits. For large projects (1000+ nodes), finding a specific note can become frustrating.