Keep lists, notes, files and references in tables that link together. When something is worth remembering, Oakbase brings it back before you forget it.
Free forever for 3 boards. No credit card.The same board works at every size. Add a column when you need one, link rows when things relate, and switch on review when it's something you have to remember.
Usually that's three apps and a lot of copy-paste. In Oakbase every row is all three: a record you can sort, a page you can write in, and a card you can review.
A row in a table. Typed columns you can sort, filter and group: tags, priority, dates, links, files.
Sort by priority, filter by type, group by what's due. It works like the spreadsheet you already know.
Oakbase schedules reviews with FSRS, the open spaced-repetition algorithm that Anki also offers. It looks at how long it really was since you last saw a row, so if you still remember it after a busy week, that counts as a win and the next review moves further out. Nothing resets to day one.
Due on day 23, reviewed on day 26, still remembered. The gap after it keeps growing (day 60), because remembering something after a longer break is evidence you know it well.
A trip to the places you want to see. A recipe to its ingredients. A topic to the notes that explain it. The graph shows how it all connects, and Brainstorm mode lets you work from one row outwards. Try it: it's live.
Ask your AI assistant to file things into Oakbase, quiz you from it, or find what you wrote last spring. Scripts and other apps get a REST API and webhooks. You choose exactly what each one can touch.
Read the API docs →Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients sign in with OAuth and can read, search and add to your boards.
Each of these is great at something. Oakbase is for when you need a table, notes and review on the same thing. If you need offline files or native apps today, the others are ahead.
| Feature | Oakbase | Notion | Airtable | Obsidian | Anki |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tables with typed columns | 13 column types | Databases | The strongest here | Bases, from note properties | Note types, not tables |
| Links between records, both ways | Across boards | Two-way relations | Linked records | Backlinks | No |
| Long notes and code inside a record | Note tabs + code editor | Every row is a page | Long text field | Notes are Markdown files | Card fields |
| Spaced repetition built in | FSRS, per row | No | No | Community plugins | The reference app (SM-2 or FSRS) |
| Graph of how things connect | Graph + Brainstorm mode | No | No | Graph view | No |
| AI assistants via MCP | Official server | Official server | Official server | Community plugins | Community add-ons |
| Works offline, files on your device | Web app, needs a connection | Offline mode, limited for databases | No | Local-first | Yes |
| Native mobile apps | Phone browser only, for now | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | Android free, iOS paid |
| Free plan | 3 boards, 100 rows each | Free for individuals | 1,000 records per base | Free; Sync is paid | Free; iOS app is paid |
| Pick it for | Studying or researching something big: structured rows, real notes and review, in one place. | Team docs, wikis and project pages. | Business workflows, automations and large shared databases. | Private notes as local Markdown files, with a huge plugin ecosystem. | Pure flashcards, offline, with thousands of shared decks. |
Checked October 2026 against each product's own docs and release notes. Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Boards that already work: columns, widgets and review settings picked for the job. Preview one to see the board it creates. You can change anything after.
Medical students, engineers, lawyers and researchers publish the boards they studied with. Import one and skip the setup, or publish yours and build an audience.