Plainva

Local-first Markdown vault editor with databases over plain notes

About Plainva

Plainva is a local-first editor that opens existing Obsidian-compatible Markdown vaults directly and adds Notion-style databases, boards, calendars and tasks as views over plain notes and frontmatter. There is no account, no telemetry and no Plainva server: sync runs through the user's own Nextcloud, S3, Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox storage.

Plainva website preview

Live preview of plainva.com via the WordPress mShots service — it can take a few seconds to generate on a first visit.

Plainva: strengths & things to check

Strengths

Completely free to use — this directory lists no paid plan for it.
Covers markdown, local first, vault, open source — see the focus areas listed in its key facts.
Has 6 close alternatives in the same category on this page, so switching or comparing is easy.

Things to check

Free tools can change their model or shut down — avoid locking critical work into it without an export path.
Current plan prices are not listed here (they change too often to print reliably) — confirm the exact price on the official site.
It is one of 2328 tools in the Productivity & Notes category here — compare it against the alternatives below before you commit.

Derived from this listing's own data (pricing model, focus areas and category) — not a hands-on review score.

Plainva pricing

Pricing model	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Free access	Yes — fully free
Current plan prices	Listed on the official site — prices change, so this directory links out instead of printing a number that may already be stale.
Official site	plainva.com

Plainva key facts

Category: Productivity & Notes
Pricing: Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas: markdown, local first, vault, open source
Official site: plainva.com

Plainva FAQ

How much does Plainva cost?

Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it. Current plans and prices are listed on the official site (plainva.com).

What is Plainva used for?

Local-first Markdown vault editor with databases over plain notes Its focus areas in the Productivity & Notes category: markdown, local first, vault, open source.

Where can I try Plainva?

On its official site, plainva.com — the Visit Official Site button above goes straight there.

Plainva vs alternatives

	Plainva	An Otter Wiki	Atomic Server	Etonym
Pricing	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Freemium — a free tier lets you start, and paid plans are available if you need more.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas	markdown, local first, vault, open source	wiki, markdown, open source, self hosted, documentation	knowledge base, local first, open source, self hosted	notes, markdown, git, local first, windows
Official site	plainva.com	otterwiki.com	atomicserver.eu	etonym.com
Directory status	Listed	Listed	Listed	Listed

Side-by-side from each listing's own directory data. Full alternative cards are below.

About the Productivity & Notes category

Notes, tasks, and project tools that keep you organized and focused. The Productivity & Notes category on Tools Hub currently lists 2328 tools. Alongside Plainva, it includes CintaNotes, Noto.md, Yaranga, Ownspce.

FreeProductivity & Notesmarkdownlocal-firstvaultopen-source

Alternatives to Plainva

Tools in the same Productivity & Notes category that share focus areas with Plainva — worth comparing before you commit:

Productivity & Notes

An Otter Wiki

A minimalistic wiki powered by Python, Markdown and Git

Freewikimarkdownopen-sourceself-hosted

Productivity & Notes

Atomic Server

Local-first workspace for documents, tables and files, now atomic.place

Freemiumknowledge-baselocal-firstopen-sourceself-hosted

Productivity & Notes

Etonym

Git-friendly Windows notes app where notes are Markdown files

Freenotesmarkdowngitlocal-first

Productivity & Notes

Gramax

Open-source company knowledge base over Markdown files in Git

Freemiumknowledge-basewikimarkdownself-hosted

Productivity & Notes

HamsterBase Tasks

A simple tool that helps creators turn ideas into reality

Freetask-managerlocal-firstopen-source

Productivity & Notes

HedgeDoc

Collaborative markdown editor where ideas grow together

Freemarkdownnotesopen-sourcecollaboration

More in Productivity & Notes

Comparing tools in the Productivity & Notes category? These related listings are worth a look: CintaNotes — Portable Windows notes app for clipping and tagging information; Noto.md — Markdown-first notes app across web, desktop and mobile, local-first; Yaranga — Voice-first personal knowledge tool designed for ADHD and busy minds.