Synap vs Anytype

Sovereignty needs structure.

Anytype is a remarkable local-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace with a graph-based data model. It takes data ownership seriously. But ownership without organization means you still do all the structuring yourself. Synap gives you both.

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Synap and Anytype, side by side

Synap compared with Anytype
Topic	Anytype	Synap
Ownership	On your devices, synced peer-to-peer	A dedicated pod — your own PostgreSQL
Organizing	You define types and relations	Structure applied on capture, proposed to you
Setup	A learning curve	Just capture; customize later
Developers	A public API (search, objects, types) plus an MCP server	tRPC API, SDK, Hub Protocol and MCP

Structuring on capture is part of Pod + AI (€100/month). On the Pod plan (€20/month), the agent you connect does the structuring through Synap's tools. Either way, changes arrive as proposals you review.

Where Anytype is strong

Local-first, end-to-end encrypted
Graph-based object model
Peer-to-peer sync between devices

Where they differ

Two approaches to sovereignty

Anytype stores data on your devices and syncs peer-to-peer using IPFS-based technology. That is genuine local-first architecture: your data never touches a central server. The trade-off is complexity — syncing needs Anytype's middleware, backups depend on your devices, and there's no server-side processing for search or organization.

Synap takes a different path. Your data lives on a dedicated PostgreSQL server — a pod — that you own. Self-host it on your own infrastructure, or let us run it for you. Either way it's a real database with standard SQL access, backups, and server-side processing. Sovereignty through infrastructure control, not only local storage.

Manual structure vs. structure for you

Anytype has a rich object model — types, relations, sets, and collections — but you build the structure yourself. For people who enjoy system-building, that's a feature. For everyone else, it's a wall.

Synap's philosophy is the opposite: capture everything, and the structure is handled. Paste a link and it's recognized as an article, with author and date extracted and related records linked. Forward an email and a contact is created and linked to relevant projects. The typed model is there; you never have to think about it.

Ecosystem and extensibility

Anytype now ships a public API and an MCP server for agent integrations, but the type and template ecosystem is still community-run, without an official marketplace.

Synap exposes a full tRPC API with scoped keys, an official SDK, and the Hub Protocol for agents. Connectors bring in Google Workspace today (GitHub, Notion, Linear, Slack are planned). Automations trigger on record changes. Your pod is a standard PostgreSQL database — build any integration, export anything.

Common questions

How is Synap different from Anytype?

Both Synap and Anytype focus on data sovereignty. The difference is organization: Anytype asks you to set object types, relations, and templates by hand. Synap classifies what you capture into typed records with the right properties — you never set up a schema.

Does Anytype or Synap give better data ownership?

Both give strong ownership, in different ways. Anytype uses an encrypted peer-to-peer sync protocol. Synap gives you a dedicated server that you own, which you can self-host with Docker Compose on any VPS.

Can Synap work with any AI model?

Yes. Claude, ChatGPT, Le Chat, Cursor, Claude Code and other MCP clients connect to your pod over MCP. You're never locked to one provider, and switching keeps all your context. Anytype's assistant features are more limited and built in.

Sovereignty with structure built in.

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