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Research · head to head

Aurelius vs Roam Research

Aurelius logo

Aurelius

Research

UX research repository for tagging notes, building insights and finding them again years later

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Roam Research logo

Roam Research

Research

A note-taking tool for networked thought

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Aurelius aurelius does not recruit participants or run unmoderated studies, so it is always a second tool alongside a testing or recruitment platform and never the whole research budget.; Roam Research cloud-dependent: no local-first option, all data stored on Roam servers
  • They diverge on capability: Aurelius covers Research repository, Roam Research covers Bi-directional linking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aurelius and Roam Research actually diverge.

Attributes where Aurelius and Roam Research differ
AttributeAureliusRoam Research
Starting price$49/month$15/month
Pricing modelFlat monthly fee, unlimited usersUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, macOS, Windows
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Aurelius

  • Research repository
  • Analysis board
  • Tagging
  • Insights and recommendations
  • Transcription
  • AI assist
  • Automatic report builder
  • Universal search

Only in Roam Research

  • Bi-directional linking
  • Block references
  • Daily notes
  • Graph visualization
  • Sidebar navigation
  • Version history
  • Markdown support
  • TODO management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Aurelius

  • A research team of three whose findings currently live in individual Miro boards and Google Docs that nobody outside the team can find six months laternot Roam Research
  • A product organisation that wants every designer and product manager to search past research without paying forty repository seatsnot Roam Research
  • A consultancy running discovery for multiple clients that needs tagged evidence kept separate per client but searchable internallynot Roam Research
  • A team preparing a repeat study who need to know what was already learned about the same problem two years ago before they recruit anyonenot Roam Research

Roam Research

  • Research notesnot Aurelius
  • Writing projectsnot Aurelius
  • Personal knowledge managementnot Aurelius
  • Academic worknot Aurelius
  • Creative thinkingnot Aurelius

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Aurelius

  • Aurelius does not recruit participants or run unmoderated studies, so it is always a second tool alongside a testing or recruitment platform and never the whole research budget.
  • Integrations are thin, with Zapier, Jira and Slack rather than direct connections to the call recording and testing tools most teams already run, so getting material in often means manual upload.
  • The tag vocabulary is only as good as the discipline applied to it, and repositories where several researchers invent overlapping tags become unsearchable within a year with no built-in governance to prevent it.
  • Unlimited users is genuinely unlimited but permissions are basic below Enterprise, so a team that needs client-safe or stakeholder-only views has to buy the quoted tier for something that reads as a table-stakes control.
  • It is a small independent vendor competing with much better funded repositories, which is a real procurement risk for an organisation storing years of research in it, and enterprise assurance material such as penetration test reports sits behind the top tier.

Roam Research

  • Cloud-dependent: no local-first option, all data stored on Roam servers
  • Offline sync issues: offline databases experience slow startup and synchronization problems
  • No native Android app
  • Requires internet connection for most functionality

Pricing, plan by plan

Aurelius

$49/month
  • Professional$49/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited projects and storage
    • Notes, tags and documents
  • Premium$199/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Recommendations
    • Universal search across projects
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Everything in Premium
    • SSO with SAML 2.0
    • IP allowlisting

Roam Research

$15/month
  • Pro$15/month
    • Unlimited graphs
    • Unlimited blocks
    • Daily notes
  • Believer$500/5 years
    • All Pro features
    • Cost effective long-term subscription

Which should you pick?

Choose Aurelius if

  • You need research repository.
  • You also want analysis board.
Aurelius review

Choose Roam Research if

  • You need bi-directional linking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want block references.
Roam Research review

Questions people ask

Is Aurelius or Roam Research better?
Neither clearly leads. Aurelius starts at $49/month and Roam Research at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aurelius or Roam Research?
Aurelius starts at $49/month and Roam Research at $15/month.
Does Aurelius or Roam Research run on more platforms?
Aurelius runs on Web. Roam Research runs on Web, iOS, macOS, Windows.
What is Aurelius best used for?
Aurelius is most often used for a research team of three whose findings currently live in individual miro boards and google docs that nobody outside the team can find six months later, a product organisation that wants every designer and product manager to search past research without paying forty repository seats, a consultancy running discovery for multiple clients that needs tagged evidence kept separate per client but searchable internally, a team preparing a repeat study who need to know what was already learned about the same problem two years ago before they recruit anyone. Of those, a research team of three whose findings currently live in individual miro boards and google docs that nobody outside the team can find six months later and a product organisation that wants every designer and product manager to search past research without paying forty repository seats are not what Roam Research is typically brought in for.
What can Aurelius do that Roam Research cannot?
Aurelius covers Research repository, Analysis board, Tagging, Insights and recommendations. Roam Research covers Bi-directional linking, Block references, Daily notes, Graph visualization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Aurelius: Does the price really include unlimited users?

Yes. Professional at 49 US dollars a month and Premium at 199, both billed yearly, both with unlimited users, projects and storage.

Roam Research: Does Roam Research have a free plan?

No, Roam Research does not offer a free plan. However, it includes a 31-day free trial before requiring a subscription to either the Pro plan ($15/month) or Believer plan ($500 for five years).

Source
Aurelius: Can I run usability tests in it?

No. Aurelius stores and analyses research; it does not recruit participants or host sessions. Pair it with a testing tool.

Roam Research: Can I use Roam Research offline?

Roam Research has limited offline support. Offline databases have significant performance issues, including slow startup times and sync problems. The platform is cloud-dependent and requires internet connectivity for most functionality.

Source
Aurelius: What is the difference between Professional and Premium?

Premium adds universal cross-project search, collections, recommendations and Zapier. If your value comes from finding old research, Premium is the tier that delivers it.

Roam Research: What platforms does Roam Research support?

Roam Research is available as a web app and native mobile apps for iOS and macOS. Windows users access it through the web app or Electron desktop wrapper. Android support is limited.

Source
Aurelius: Is there single sign-on?

Only on Enterprise, along with IP allowlisting, Jira and advanced permissions. Everything below is quoted separately.

Roam Research: Can I export my data from Roam Research?

Yes, you can export your entire database or individual pages as JSON or Markdown format by clicking the three-dot menu. However, block references do not translate perfectly, and migration to other tools may require manual cleanup.

Source
Roam Research: Does Roam Research integrate with Slack?

Roam Research integrates with Slack through Zapier, allowing you to send Slack messages to Roam or add Slack messages to your Roam daily notes. No native Slack integration is available.

Source
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