Capacities Problems & Issues
AppObject-based note-taking and personal knowledge management app
Should you use Capacities?
Try with cautionCapacities works for some teams, but users report recurring problems (score 64/100). Most reported issues: Capacities mobile app is worse than desktop; Notes aren't stored as Markdown files (vendor lock-in worry); Capacities not syncing or showing the offline icon. Not a good fit for: Obsidian users who love plugins and local files; Teams needing shared workspaces. Users most often switch to Obsidian, Notion, Anytype.
Top problems
- Capacities mobile app is worse than desktop
- Notes aren't stored as Markdown files (vendor lock-in worry)
- Capacities not syncing or showing the offline icon
Good for
- Readers and researchers tracking books, people and sources
- Notion users who want personal notes without building databases
- Students on a budget
Avoid if you are
- Obsidian users who love plugins and local files
- Teams needing shared workspaces
Score breakdown
A polished, fast desktop app with a genuinely useful object model and a generous free plan, but notes live in a proprietary cloud database, the mobile apps lag behind desktop, sync occasionally needs manual reboots, and AI, tasks and calendar sit behind a $9.99-$11.99/month Pro plan with an AI budget.
Overview
Capacities is a note-taking and personal knowledge management (PKM) app where everything is an object with a type: books, people, meetings, ideas or pages. Objects link together and show up in daily notes, queries and a graph. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and the web. Notes are stored in Capacities' cloud with an offline copy on each device, not as local Markdown files. It is built for individuals and has no team plan.
Capacities Not Working? Common Errors & Fixes
Step-by-step fixes for the errors users hit most.
Capacities Not Syncing (Offline Icon Showing)
If Capacities shows the offline icon or won't sync while your internet works, check status.capacities.io for an outage, restart the app, and disable any VPN or firewall blocking it. During an outage, don't log out or reset the app or unsynced changes can be lost.
Capacities Notes Missing or Disappeared
Missing notes in Capacities usually haven't been deleted; the device hasn't finished downloading them. Check the space switcher, then Settings > Offline & Sync for 'Content not downloaded' and re-download. If the sync boxes aren't green, press Retry and don't reboot.
Capacities "View Is Not Ready Yet" Message
'View is not ready yet' means your content is still downloading to this device; nothing has been deleted. Wait for the download to finish. If the view stays empty afterwards, check Settings > Offline & Sync and reboot only if the sync boxes are green.
Capacities "Updating Failed" or "Synchronization Failed" Error
'Updating failed' means content on this device may be out of sync with the server; fix it with Settings > Account > Reboot. 'Synchronization failed' is a rarer server or account problem: restart Capacities and contact support if it persists.
Capacities Calendar Integration Not Working
Most Capacities calendar errors are fixed by deleting the integration in Settings and reconnecting with all permissions granted. Error 3498 (Google) or 2891 (Microsoft) means an old connection conflicts: remove 'Capacities Calendar Integration' from your account's connected apps first.
Capacities Apple Calendar (iCloud) Not Showing Events
Capacities' Apple Calendar integration only shows calendars stored in iCloud. Google, Outlook or subscribed calendars added to the Apple Calendar app won't come through; connect those accounts directly instead.
Capacities Export Missing Images or Files
Capacities can only export media that's stored on your device. Set Settings > Offline & Sync > Media loading to 'Everything', let media download, then export again. This mostly affects the browser version, which defaults to 'Required only'.
Capacities Automated Backup Not Running
Capacities' scheduled full export only runs if the app is open at the scheduled time, a file location is selected, and the schedule shows a green 'active' flag. Fix those three and the backup will run.
Capacities Notion Import Not Working Properly
Capacities' bulk import is desktop-only and works best with a Notion export in Markdown + CSV. Formulas, relations, rollups and URL properties often don't map cleanly, so simplify databases first, test a small subset, and stop if the mapping preview looks wrong.
Capacities iPhone App Stuck on Launch Screen or Freezing
App Store reviewers report Capacities freezing on the splash screen or hanging while editing, mostly on older iOS versions; reinstalling doesn't always help. Update the app and iOS, let it finish syncing on WiFi, and use Settings > Account > Reboot once it opens.
Capacities Version Conflict Pop-Up
A version conflict appears when a note was edited offline and differs from the server copy. Capacities asks you to pick one, and the other version is permanently deleted, so compare word counts or copy the Markdown before choosing.
How to Cancel Capacities Subscription
Cancel Capacities Pro or Believer in the app under Settings > Subscription & Billing. You keep paid features until the period ends, then move to the free Basic plan with all your content.
Signals & Issues
Patterns extracted from real user feedback — not raw reviews.
Capacities stores notes in its own database and cloud, not as files on disk; you can't open your notes from the file system. Export to Markdown, CSV and media is available, but users coming from Obsidian or Logseq see this as lock-in compared with plain local files.
Reviews consistently say the desktop app is fast and polished while the iOS and Android apps lag behind: clunky text selection, slower editing, embeds not viewable on mobile in some versions, and weak quick capture. Capacities shipped faster mobile boot times in mid-2026, but the gap is still the most common complaint.
A recurring App Store complaint is the app freezing on the splash screen or hanging during editing (one report ties it to pasting text). Reports cluster on older iOS versions, and some users say reinstalling did not help.
Capacities' docs list several sync states users hit: an offline icon while online, 'Synchronization failed' and 'Updating failed'. Fixes involve restarting, disabling VPN/firewall, or Settings > Account > Reboot, and the company has shipped fixes for sync glitches in past releases.
On a new device or browser, notes can appear to be missing or show 'View is not ready yet' until the full download finishes. Large libraries can take a while to become 'offline-ready', which alarms new users who think content was lost.
The free plan has no AI, task management, smart queries, calendar integration, version history or API. Pro costs $11.99/month or $119.88/year, and even Pro only includes a 'light' AI budget; heavier AI use needs the Plus add-on (about $8.33/month billed annually).
Basic includes unlimited notes but caps media uploads at 5 GB total, then 100 MB per month. Users who store PDFs and images hit the cap and need Pro for unlimited (fair-use) uploads.
Deciding which object type every note belongs to adds friction to fast capture. Reviewers describe needing several days before the model clicked, and some users with ADHD find the structure adds overhead rather than removing it.
Capacities offers built-in features but no plugin API, so it can't be extended like Obsidian. It is designed for individuals: there's no team plan or shared workspace, only view-only sharing.
Bulk import exists only in the desktop app and Capacities itself warns it is not a perfect one-click migration: Notion formulas export as results, relations and rollups can flatten, and URL properties have no direct equivalent. Older reviews describe migration as manual page-by-page work.
Google, Microsoft 365, iCloud and CalDAV calendars can be connected, but Capacities is explicitly not a calendar replacement: no recurring-event editing, no moving events, sync delays up to 30 seconds, and Apple Calendar only shows iCloud-stored calendars. Users hit error codes like 3498 and 2408 when connecting.
Older App Store reviews complained the iPhone app showed as not supported on iPad and that Apple Pencil input was poorly recognized. Check the current version before buying for tablet-first use.
The browser extension saves a URL, title and cover image as a weblink object. Users coming from Evernote expecting a full-page clipper find it limited.
Capacities' docs state that syncing to the server cannot be disabled and data stored on the device is not encrypted (though not directly reachable through the file system). Privacy-focused users often prefer local-first or end-to-end encrypted apps.
What Users Love
Object types give structure without building databases
Books, people, meetings and custom types come with properties and templates out of the box, so users get Notion-like structure without designing it themselves.
Fast, polished desktop app
Even critical reviewers describe the desktop app as fast and well designed.
Generous free plan
Basic includes unlimited spaces, objects and custom types, sync across devices, offline support, full-text search and export.
Full offline support with conflict resolution
Notes download to each device and can be edited offline; when versions differ, a dialog lets you compare word counts and previews before choosing.
Good export and scheduled backups
Full-space export to Markdown, CSV and media, with automated daily, weekly or monthly backups; single objects export to PDF, Markdown, Word or LaTeX.
Available on every major platform
Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and web, with capture from WhatsApp, Telegram and email.
Pricing Plans
Users: 1
Storage: 5 GB media, then 100 MB/month
- ✓Unlimited spaces, objects and custom object types
- ✓Sync across devices and offline support
- ✓Full-text search
- ✓Import and export
- ✓View-only sharing
- ✓Save from WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter or email
Limitations: No AI, task management, smart queries, calendar integration, version history or Public API.
Users: 1
Storage: Unlimited media (fair use)
- ✓Everything in Basic
- ✓AI assistant and AI chat connectors
- ✓Task management and smart queries
- ✓Calendar integration
- ✓Version history
- ✓Readwise/Kindle import
- ✓Public API
Limitations: Single-user only; no team plan.
Users: 1
Storage: Unlimited media (fair use)
- ✓Everything in Pro
- ✓Beta access to major new features
- ✓Supports the team
Limitations: Mainly early access and supporter perks over Pro.
Users: 1
- ✓Much larger monthly AI budget
- ✓One-time or automatic AI top-ups
Limitations: Requires Pro or Believer.
Features
Organization
- Custom object types
Linking
- Daily notes and backlinks
Sync
- Offline support
Browser version only downloads required media by default
Storage
- Local Markdown files
Proprietary cloud storage; export available
- Scheduled backups
App must be open at the scheduled time
Integrations
- Plugin API
- Public API
Pro
- Calendar integration
Google, Microsoft 365, iCloud, CalDAV (Pro)
AI
- AI assistant
Pro, with monthly AI budget
Collaboration
- Team collaboration
View-only sharing only
Platforms
- Linux app
Who Should Use This?
Good Fit
Readers and researchers tracking books, people and sources
Object types for books, people and quotes with Readwise/Kindle import are exactly what Capacities was built for.
Notion users who want personal notes without building databases
You get typed objects and properties out of the box with a cleaner, faster personal experience.
Students on a budget
The free plan covers unlimited notes and sync, and students get discounts on Pro.
Neutral
Mobile-first note takers
The mobile apps work and are improving, but they lag behind desktop in editing and quick capture.
Privacy-focused users
Sync can't be disabled and notes aren't end-to-end encrypted; local-first tools like Obsidian or Anytype suit better.
Heavy AI users
Pro includes only a light AI budget; regular use requires the Plus add-on.
Avoid
Obsidian users who love plugins and local files
No plugin API and no plain Markdown files on disk; you'd give up the main reasons you chose Obsidian.
Teams needing shared workspaces
Capacities is for individuals only, with view-only sharing and no team plan.
Regret Patterns
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Users who assumed Capacities worked like Obsidian later realize notes live in a proprietary database and must be exported to leave.
Users who pay for Pro still jot notes in another app on the phone and move them later because mobile editing feels slow.
Pro's AI budget is light; heavy users discover they need the Plus add-on on top of the subscription.
Choosing an object type for every note slows capture, and some users abandon the system after the initial excitement.
Users who hoped to share a workspace find only view-only sharing.
Imported databases lose formulas, relations or URL properties and need manual cleanup.
When It Breaks Down
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
Notes show as missing or 'View is not ready yet' until the full download finishes.
The offline icon appears even with internet, and changes don't sync until the network allows Capacities.
A version conflict dialog appears and the version you don't keep is permanently deleted.
Media missing from exports because the browser only downloads required media by default.
Company policies limiting outside calendar access block the integration; recurring events can't be edited from Capacities.
There is no shared editing or team workspace.
Automated exports only run if Capacities is open at the scheduled time.
Alternatives Users Switch To
Obsidian
10x mentionedLocal Markdown files, thousands of plugins and a faster mobile story; you lose Capacities' ready-made object types and have to build structure yourself.
Notion
8x mentionedBetter for teams and complex databases with real collaboration; slower and less focused for personal knowledge management.
Anytype
7x mentionedAlso object-based, but open source, local-first and end-to-end encrypted; less polished and steeper to learn.
Tana
6x mentionedOutliner with supertags and deeper automation for power users; more complex and less suited to simple note-taking.
Logseq
5x mentionedFree, open-source outliner with local files; no object types and a weaker mobile app.
Craft
4x mentionedBeautiful documents and strong Apple apps; less structured linking than Capacities' object model.
Frequently Asked Questions
See how Capacities compares in our Best Note Taking Software rankings, or calculate costs with our Budget Calculator.
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