Everything you love about Notion databases —
but yours to keep

Import your workspace export, keep your tables, views, and dashboards — with enforced schemas, typed relationships, and zero vendor lock-in. Your data stays on your machine, forever.

Try the Demo Self-Host with Docker
Sound Familiar?

The problems Notion power users won't talk about

Your data lives on Notion's servers. You can export it, but what you get back is a pile of Markdown files and CSV tables that lose structure, relations, and views. You don't own your data — you rent it.
Performance cliffs are real. A workspace with a few hundred pages feels snappy. Grow that to thousands and everything slows — search lags, databases take seconds to load, and the UI stutters.
Relations are flat and fragile. Notion lets you link databases, but every relation is the same — untyped, undirected, and invisible in the API export. No way to say how two things connect.
Properties are optional by default. Nothing stops you from leaving a required field blank, choosing the wrong type, or entering inconsistent data. Your "database" is really a spreadsheet wearing a disguise.
How SemPKM Solves This

Same paradigm, no lock-in

Tables, cards, dashboards, and forms — everything you use in Notion, rebuilt to enforce structure and run on your machine.

Import Your Workspace

Upload your Notion export ZIP. A guided wizard maps your databases to types, columns to properties, and relations to typed edges.

Table & Card Views

Sort, filter, and group your objects just like Notion database views. Switch between table and card layouts with a click.

Dashboards

Build multi-view dashboards with CSS Grid layouts. Tables, cards, and charts in one screen with cross-view filtering — like Notion dashboards, but more flexible.

Create Types Like Databases

In-app type creation works like "create a database" in Notion. Name it, pick an icon, add properties — but every property has a real type and validation rules.

Forms with Real Validation

Properties are enforced, not optional. Leave a required field blank and the form tells you. Enter the wrong type and it catches it. Your data stays consistent.

Self-Hosted

Your data lives on your machine, in a format you control. Export anytime. No subscription required, no servers to trust, no vendor that can change the terms.

Full History & Undo

Every change is an immutable event. See who changed what, when, and why. Undo anything at any time — something Notion simply can't offer.

Side by Side

Notion vs SemPKM

You keep the paradigm you love — databases, views, and relations. You gain ownership, enforcement, and performance.

Capability Notion SemPKM
Data ownership Cloud-only — you rent access Self-hosted, export anytime
Structure enforcement Soft — optional properties Schema-enforced properties
Typed relationships Flat, untyped relations Typed, directed, annotatable edges
Performance at scale Degrades with growth Local-first, no network overhead
Full history & undo None Every change tracked, full undo
Offline access Limited — needs network Fully offline, always available
Get Started

From zero to structured knowledge in 4 steps

1

Install with Docker

One command spins up SemPKM on your machine. No cloud account, no subscription, no waiting. Running in under 60 seconds.

2

Pick a Mental Model

Choose a pre-built model that matches your workflow — PKM, CRM, Zettelkasten, Research, Business Planning, or PPV. Instant types, forms, views, and validation.

3

Import your Notion export

Export your workspace from Notion as Markdown & CSV, upload the ZIP, and map databases to types — pages, properties, and relations come along.

4

Build views and dashboards

Create table views, card views, and multi-panel dashboards. Filter, sort, and group — just like Notion, but with consistent data underneath.

Ready for real structure?

Stop renting your knowledge. Start owning it.

Explore the live demo, self-host with a single Docker command, or read the user guide.

Try the Demo Self-Host with Docker Read the User Guide