Yojimbo vs TheBrain

Yojimbo7.3Visit TheBrain7.3Visit

Yojimbo #5 in Personal Knowledge Management Software 7.3/10 From $30 ✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Yojimbo

vs

TheBrain #6 in Personal Knowledge Management Software 7.3/10 Free plan · paid from $15/mo Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit TheBrain

• Yojimbo fits best

  Mac users archiving personal information

• TheBrain fits best

  Long-established visual knowledge graphs

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Side by side

Feature	Yojimbo 7.3/10 Visit ↗	TheBrain 7.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.3	7.3
Ranking	#5 in Personal Knowledge Management Software	#6 in Personal Knowledge Management Software
Best for	Mac users archiving personal information	Long-established visual knowledge graphs
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	macOS, iOS	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support	Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs
Integrations	2 integrations	3 integrations
Built for	Solo	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Yojimbo 2/4 · TheBrain 4/4
Backlinks	—	✓ (best)
Graph view	—	✓ (best)
Offline access	✓	✓
Import and export	✓	✓
Specs
Organization model	Database	Graph
Supported platforms	macOS, iPad	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, web
Our review
Pros	Collects notes, PDFs, bookmarks, passwords, images and more in one place Tags, labels, collections, browsing and Spotlight help retrieve stored items Syncs among Macs via iCloud and exports items in their original form	Visual network with backlinks, mapped links, and unlinked mentions Free plan includes unlimited thoughts, links, brains, and local notes Runs across web, desktop, mobile, and Linux platforms
Cons	No free plan; the Individual license costs $30 one time No backlinks or graph view for connecting and mapping notes The iPad companion provides read-only access to stored items	Paid plans are required for unlimited private sync No integrations are included Collaboration and shared brains require TeamBrain
Our verdict	Yojimbo is a personal information organizer for people who want to keep varied reference material in a searchable archive on macOS. It accepts notes, bookmarks, PDFs, web archives, serial numbers, passwords and images. Items can be added… Read the review →	TheBrain is a personal knowledge management application built around a visual network of connected thoughts, concepts, notes, files, and web links. It suits researchers, writers, students, and knowledge workers who prefer graph-based… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Yojimbo — where it wins

  • Collects notes, PDFs, bookmarks, passwords, images and more in one place
  • Tags, labels, collections, browsing and Spotlight help retrieve stored items
  • Syncs among Macs via iCloud and exports items in their original form

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; the Individual license costs $30 one time
  • No backlinks or graph view for connecting and mapping notes
  • The iPad companion provides read-only access to stored items

• TheBrain — where it wins

  • Visual network with backlinks, mapped links, and unlinked mentions
  • Free plan includes unlimited thoughts, links, brains, and local notes
  • Runs across web, desktop, mobile, and Linux platforms

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid plans are required for unlimited private sync
  • No integrations are included
  • Collaboration and shared brains require TeamBrain

• Yojimbo7.3/10 · From $30

  A paid Mac archive for collecting, tagging, searching and syncing personal information.

  Visit YojimboFull verdict →
• TheBrain7.3/10 · Free plan · paid from $15/mo

  A mature visual knowledge graph with broad platform support and optional paid sync.

  Visit TheBrainFull verdict →