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The Showdown

Roam Researchvsathens

Why pay monthly fees for Roam Research when you can self-host athens for free? Let's look at the facts.

Roam Research

The Expensive Option

  • Closed Source (Black box)
  • Expensive monthly fees per user
  • Data stored on their servers
WINNER

athens

The Freedom Choice

  • 100% Open Source Code
  • Free forever (Self-hosted)
  • You own your data completely
Get athens Now
Interactive Calculator

Calculate Your "SaaS Tax"

SaaS pricing is designed to scale with your success. See how much wealth transfers from your bank account to Roam Research's shareholders.

10 people
150100200+
$

*Estimated standard pricing for Roam Research. Adjust if needed.

Estimated Annual Waste
$1,440
Monthly Burn Rate$120
5-Year Projection$7,200
Cost with Self-Hosted$0
Start Saving Today

Calculations based on 10 users at $12/mo.

Detailed Breakdown

0
Cloud-only storage
Local-first storage
1
Proprietary sync
Self-hosted sync
2
Limited API access
Open API and plugins