Comparison
Glassy vs Roam Research
Roam popularized networked thought. Glassy takes it further: local AI, Markdown files you own, and an MCP server that lets AI agents query your knowledge base.
Glassy
Markdown-native files you own. Export anytime to plain .md.
Roam
Proprietary block format. Export is JSON-only and lossy.
Glassy
Local AI in your browser via WebGPU. No server round-trip for summaries, tags, or transcription.
Roam
No local AI. All processing happens on Roam's servers.
Glassy
MCP server queries your knowledge base from Claude Desktop or Cursor.
Roam
No MCP server. No AI-agent queryability.
Glassy
Self-hostable Docker stack. Your data, your server.
Roam
Cloud-only. No self-hosting option. Server outages mean no access.
Glassy
$17/month flat. No per-feature or per-graph pricing.
Roam
$15/month for Pro. Pricing has increased over time.
Glassy
Hybrid search: BM25 + vector. Find by meaning or exact phrase.
Roam
Block-level search only. No semantic or vector search.
Glassy
Obsidian sync, browser companion, RSS reader included.
Roam
No Obsidian integration, no browser companion, no RSS.
No credit card. Your files stay yours.