Cloudflare Pages review: fast, cheap, and under the radar
Cloudflare Pages is the quiet contender in frontend hosting. Here is an honest review of its speed, limits, and where it fits.
The Flow Journal
Practical guides to organizing notes and tasks, comparing productivity apps, and owning your data with a self-hosted note-taking setup.
Vercel vs Netlify: where to host your frontend
Vercel and Netlify are the two biggest names in frontend hosting. Here is how they compare on speed, features, and pricing.
Vercel review: great for Next.js, but not the only choice
Vercel is the default for frontend deployment. Here is an honest review of what it does well, where it costs more than expected, and when to host elsewhere.
What happened to Evernote after Bending Spoons bought it
Evernote did not disappear. It got acquired, stripped down, repriced, and loaded with AI features many users never asked for. Here is what changed and what to do next.
Clerk vs Supabase Auth: which auth should you use?
Clerk and Supabase Auth both handle user login. Here is how they differ on setup, customization, pricing, and lock-in.
Why use Flow MCP when copy-paste is faster?
Flow MCP is not about saving time when you paste a note in. It is about giving your AI the full picture of your tasks, projects, and thinking already stored in Flow.
How to import notes into Flow Productivity
Move notes from another app into Flow with an Excel template. This guide explains each column, the accepted values, and what does not carry across.
Supabase alternatives for developers who want options
Supabase is not the only way to get a modern backend. Here are the honest alternatives, mapped by what you actually need.
How to connect ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Perplexity to your notes and tasks
Flow does not have built-in AI. Instead, it gives you an MCP connector so your existing AI tools can read, create, and update everything directly.
Flow vs Notion: a debate about power, friction, and AI
Notion rewards people who want to build a system. Flow is for people who want the system decided. Axe and Gerald debate where each approach works.
Why you need a second brain
Your brain is for thinking, not storage. A second brain system captures ideas and tasks externally so you can focus on what matters.
Supabase review: the open-source Firebase, honestly assessed
Supabase gives you PostgreSQL with modern developer tooling. Here is an honest review of what it does well and where it asks more of you.
Convex review: a backend that stays out of your way
I have run Flow on Convex for months. Here is an honest review of what works, what costs more than expected, and who should choose it.
What is Convex? A plain explanation for developers
Convex is a reactive backend for TypeScript apps. Here is what that means in plain terms, and when it is the right choice.
Cloudinary Review: Pros, Costs, and When It Makes Sense to Use
Cloudinary is popular for developers who need reliable media hosting and automatic optimizations. This review covers what it does well, where the credit system bites, and a lower-friction path for some projects.
Wispr Flow review: I was skeptical of the hype
I expected Wispr Flow to be another overhyped AI tool. Then it solved a small but persistent problem in how I capture ideas.
Convex vs Supabase: which backend is better for you?
Convex is faster to build with for reactive TypeScript apps. Supabase gives you Postgres, SQL, and more portability. Here is how to choose.
Flow vs Evernote: the old Evernote feel, without the subscription
If you loved old Evernote and feel let down by where it went, here is an honest look at moving to something you own and pay for once.
How to take notes on a computer (that you can actually find later)
Taking notes on a computer is easy. Taking notes you can find again is the real skill. Here is how to do the second one.
Flow vs UpNote: pay-once notes, or a pay-once suite you own
UpNote is a solid one-time-purchase notes app. Here is an honest look at when you want it, and when Flow's wider, owned suite fits better.
Flow vs Trello: three columns by design, notes included
Trello gives you endless flexibility on your board. Flow gives you three columns on purpose, plus notes and capture. An honest comparison.
Flow vs Obsidian: when simple beats infinitely customizable
Obsidian is brilliant and endlessly customizable. For some people that is exactly the problem. An honest comparison, including where Obsidian wins.
Flow vs Joplin: self-hosted notes, with and without the setup
Joplin is a strong open-source note app if you are happy to set up and maintain your own sync. Here is how Flow compares for people who are not.
Flow vs AppFlowy: open-source Docker, or a one-time purchase you own
AppFlowy is the closest open-source clone of the Notion feel. If self-hosting it with Docker is the wall you hit, here is how Flow compares.
Flow vs Anytype: powerful and private, or simple and owned
Anytype is ambitious, local-first, and encrypted. It is also a lot to learn. An honest comparison for people who want simpler and owned.
Self-hosting your notes without Docker (or a server)
Most self-hosting guides assume you love Docker. Here is how to own your notes without running a container or a server, and where each route fits.
PKM without the cult: simple personal knowledge management
PKM has turned into a hobby with its own jargon and gurus. Here is the simple version that helps you think, without the cult.
Self-hosted note-taking: own your data without running a server
Self-hosting usually means Docker, a VPS, and a weekend you will not get back. There is a version of self-hosting that gives you the ownership without the server admin.
How to organize your notes: a simple system that survives real life
Most note systems fail because they ask too much of you. Here is a four-part system for organizing your notes that holds up when life gets busy.
The best self-hosted, no-subscription alternative to Notion and Evernote
An honest, complete map of self-hosted, no-subscription alternatives to Notion and Evernote, including the gap almost all of them leave open.
Personal kanban: the three-column board that keeps you moving
You do not need a complex board to run your own work. Here is a personal kanban system with three columns, and why fewer is better.
The best OneNote alternative for Linux
OneNote on Linux means the web app and not much else. Here are the alternatives that actually treat Linux as a first-class citizen.
A notes app with a password, and why local control matters more
A password on your notes feels safe, but it protects less than you think. Here is what a note lock really does, and what actually keeps notes private.
Note-taking methods, ranked by how much they actually help
There are a dozen famous note-taking methods. Most people need one of the simple ones. Here they are, ranked by how much they actually help.
Note collaboration and sharing: what you actually need
Collaboration means very different things, from a read-only link to live co-editing. Here is how to tell which one you actually need.
No-subscription note apps: pay once, keep it forever
Most note apps want a monthly fee forever. Here is an honest look at no-subscription options, and the difference between paying once and owning it.
Markdown notes: a clean way to write, and what to watch for
Markdown makes writing notes feel fast and clean. Here is why it works, and the honest difference between raw markdown files and a rich editor.
A Logseq alternative for people who want simple notes, not an outliner
Logseq is excellent if you think in outlines and links. If that model never clicked for you, here are the alternatives worth trying.
How to share a note (3 ways, and the simplest one)
There are three real ways to share a note with someone. Here is each one, when to use it, and the simplest option for a quick share.
How to organize tasks without building a system you hate
Elaborate task systems fail by Wednesday. Here is a simple way to organize tasks that survives a real week, built on capture, triage, and three stages.
Alternatives to Google Keep that you actually own
Google Keep is great until you outgrow it or get uneasy about everything living in Google. Here is what to move to, and what it means to own your notes.
What end-to-end encryption means for your notes (and what to do if you do not have it)
End-to-end encryption is widely promised and widely misunderstood. Here is what it means for your notes, and the difference between encryption and ownership.
A daily note template you can copy (and actually keep using)
A daily note keeps your thinking in one place. Here is a simple template you can copy, and the trick to actually keeping the habit.
ClickUp for note-taking: is it enough, and what to use instead
ClickUp can take notes, but notes are a side feature of a heavy project tool. Here is when it is enough and when it is not.
The best note-taking app for Mac and iPhone (an honest take)
Looking for the best note app across Mac and iPhone? Here is an honest take, including why native is not automatically the right answer.
Anytype review (and a simpler alternative)
An honest Anytype review covering what it does well, where it gets heavy, its pricing, and a simpler alternative if the power feels like complexity.
I stopped using Evernote, struggled with Notion, and built my own productivity suite
I loved old-school Evernote. Notion felt too heavy. So I built the focused productivity suite I always wished existed.