Big update: Logseq is splitting into two versions
- Hi loggers! We're making a substantial change to serve you better and to accelerate Logseq's development.
What's Changing
- We're announcing an important change: Logseq is splitting into two distinct products to better serve our users.
- Logseq OG → File-based graphs (Markdown)
→ New home: https://github.com/logseq/og
→ For users who prefer local Markdown files. - Logseq → Database graphs
→ Current repo stays here: https://github.com/logseq/logseq
→ For users who want enhanced graph synchronization, collaboration and performance.
- Over the next few weeks, you'll see this reflected in the apps and our documentation.
What This Means for You
If you're using Markdown graphs today:
- Nothing changes immediately – you can continue using Logseq exactly as you do now.
- Your data remains safe and accessible.
- You can transition to Logseq whenever you feel ready. (Using the Markdown graph import tool.)
- You won't be forced to migrate to the database version.
- Logseq OG will continue to be maintained. It will receive security and Electron (the cross-platform software framework) upgrades, but no new features.
For those who want to use Logseq's new database graphs:
- You can do so with the new Logseq app, which will be the main version going forward.
- You'll see faster development and new features.
- Your benefit from faster performance, more reliable sync, and new data integrity checks.
If you want to use both:
- You can install both apps side-by-side.
- Run file-based graphs in Logseq OG.
- Run database graphs in Logseq.
Why We’re Doing This
- The Challenge:
- Maintaining two distinct architectures within a single app introduces significant technical complexity. Every feature, bug fix, and UX improvement must be built twice, resulting in slower development.
- It has also been difficult to support users, who are frequently confused by the differences between the two different architectures.
- The Solution:
By separating into two focused products, we can:- Move faster – No more building everything twice.
- Increase stability – Clearer code, fewer edge cases.
- Improve user experience – Each app optimized for its use case.
- Provide better support – Clearer documentation and troubleshooting.
- Our Vision:
- We're building a platform for learning, collaboration, and creativity on top of a privacy-first, local-first foundation. The database version gives us the foundation to deliver:
- Graphs that can scale without impacting performance.
- Real-time collaboration.
- A platform framework upon which developers can build their own apps.
- Reliable synchronization across devices and teams.
- Interoperability with other systems.
- Ability to exchange knowledge in textual form without friction.
- Supporting both file based (Markdown) and database graph- in one app has slowed us down. Every feature, bug fix, and UX change needs to be considered twice — often leading to regressions and confusion.
- By separating them:
- Engineering
- Development will be much faster.
- Stability will improve.
- Support will become more straightforward.
- User Experience
- Users can have both file-based and database graphs running in Logseq OG and Logseq, side-by-side.
- Existing users continue to use the Markdown-based app and transition whenever they are ready, or just keep using the current app as long as they like.
- New users will be guided to the Logseq app, defaulting to database graphs, reducing confusion and making it easier to support them.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
- Is Markdown support going away?
- No. Markdown will always be supported through Logseq OG. We're committed to maintaining this for users who prefer file-based workflows.
- Do I have to migrate to the database version?
- No. You can continue using Logseq OG (file-based) for as long as you like. There's no forced migration.
- Can I use both versions?
- Yes. You can install both apps side by side and use whichever is appropriate for each graph.
- When does this split happen?
- The split is happening now. Over the next few weeks, you'll see the apps and documentation updated to reflect "Logseq OG" and "Logseq" as separate products.
About Logseq OG (File Version)
- What's the support plan for Logseq OG?
- We'll continue maintaining Logseq OG with:
- Security fixes and patches
- Electron and dependency upgrades
- Our focus will be on maintenance and reliability rather than new feature development, allowing us to move faster on the database version.
About Logseq (Database Version)
- Is my database graph stored locally?
- Yes. Your database graph runs exclusively on your local device, just like the file version.
- What happens when I enable Logseq Sync?
- When you enable sync:
- You provide an encryption password.
- Your data is encrypted locally on your device.
- Encrypted graph nodes are synchronized to Logseq's servers.
- Other devices decrypt the data locally using your password.
- Each device maintains a local copy of your graph.
- Your data is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) and nobody else can read it.
- Will the database version support Markdown files in the future?
- That is the plan, but we are still researching the best way to do this. We're exploring approaches like:
- Treating each Markdown file as a single block in the database.
- Enabling reliable two-way sync with Markdown files.
- Maintaining compatibility while gaining database benefits.
- We're focused on finding practical solutions that work well for real-world use cases.
Mobile Apps
- How does this affect mobile?
- The same split applies to mobile:
- Logseq OG for file-based graphs
- Logseq for database graphs
- Both will be available on iOS and Android.
📦 Recent DB improvements
- Over the last few months, we have focused on stability, performance, and foundational features for the database version:
- Mobile UX upgrades (native features for iOS/Android)
- Audio recording on mobile
- End-to-end encrypted sync
- Plugin API upgrades and ClojureScript SDK
- Significant query and linked references performance improvements
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for desktop and CLI
- PDF handling improvements
- DB importer now supports Zotero PDFs + block-level tags
- Hourly db backup
- Page publish
- Stable local-first sync
- Self-hosted sync
- Large graph support (50k pages)
🌱 What’s next
- iOS TestFlight + new Sync invites have been sent to Open Collective sponsors ($15/mo)
- More invites for backers and testers coming soon
- NOW (current focus)
- Headless CLI with sync support
- Version Splitting Implementation
- Code splitting
- Discord forum update to align with the version splitting
- CI pipeline update and documentation
- Ongoing Bug Fixes
- Import and Export
- UI and UX
- UX enhancements
- Markdown mirror
- LATER
- Check our roadmap for more details
Getting Help and Staying Updated
- Questions or concerns?
- Visit our documentation
- Want to provide feedback?
- We'd love to hear from you:
- Track our progress:
- Follow updates on Twitter/X
- Watch our GitHub repositories
- Join our Open Collective for early access
Thank You
- Thank you for being part of this journey. Your feedback, patience, and support over the past few years have been invaluable. We're excited about what this change enables us to build for you.
The goal of this split is not to leave anyone behind, but rather to provide the best possible experience for both file-based and database users. We're committed to supporting you wherever you are on your Logseq journey.
Happy note-taking! 💛
— The Logseq Team
- Key Dates
- Version split begins: Now
- App naming updates: Next few weeks
- Migration guides: Coming soon
- Resources
- Roadmap: https://logseq.io/p/NX4mc_ggEV
- Code (Github)
- Logseq: https://github.com/logseq/logseq
- Logseq OG: https://github.com/logseq/og
- Documentation:
- Thanks to Danzu, Jakob, and Kerim for collaborating on this article using Logseq!