‘Finding the digital equivalent of pencil-and-paper freedom in a world obsessed with folders and files’
The Problem With Digital Note-Taking
Let’s be honest — most digital note-taking apps feel like digital filing cabinets. You’re constantly thinking about where to put something instead of what you’re actually trying to capture. Your brain doesn’t work in neat little folders, so why should your second brain?
I’ve been on this quest for the perfect digital canvas for years now. From Milanote to Scrintal, Miro to xTiles — I’ve tried them all, searching for that sweet spot where visual thinking meets practical productivity. Then I stumbled upon Constella, and something clicked.
Use my promo code ‘theAPPadvocate’ to explore Constella and you will support me in my writing journey.
First Impressions: The Good Stuff
1. Capture Like Your Brain Actually Works
The quick capture feature works seamlessly across platforms. Whether I’m on my laptop diving deep into research or quickly jotting ideas on my phone during a coffee break, the friction is minimal. No “which folder does this go in?” anxiety — just capture and connect later.
2. Visual Hierarchy Without the Overwhelm
Unlike traditional mind-mapping tools that can quickly become chaotic, Constella strikes this beautiful balance. The connectivity slider is genius — you can dial up or down how many connections you want to see, preventing information overload while keeping the big picture accessible.
3. The Backlinking Game is Strong
Visual backlinks using [[double brackets]] feel natural if you’re coming from tools like Obsidian or Roam. But Constella takes it further with visual hints and connection suggestions that actually make sense.
4. Daily Notes That Don’t Feel Like Homework
The calendar view and daily notes feature transforms scattered thoughts into a coherent timeline. It’s like having a visual journal that connects to everything else in your knowledge graph.
5. Stella AI: Your Thinking Partner
Having an AI assistant that understands your visual workspace context isn’t just convenient — it’s transformative for ideation and synthesis.
What Screenshots Will Show You
I’ll be sharing screens of:
- The infinite canvas in action — showing how a typical brainstorming session evolves
- Multi-pane view setup — how I organize research, writing, and task management simultaneously
- Connection visualization — the connectivity slider and visual hints in practice
- Daily notes integration — calendar view and how it connects to the larger knowledge graph
- Stella (ai assistant): In action, you chat and ask questions.
The Not-So-Perfect Parts
Windows App Needs Work: The desktop experience on Windows feels inconsistency breaks the flow. Mostly fluid but, not always.
No Safety Net: I accidentally deleted some notes and couldn’t find a recycle bin feature. For a productivity tool, this feels like a critical oversight. Help me find a recycle bin or trash can.
Connection Discovery Could Be Smarter: While the roadmap promises better note suggestions, the current similar notes feature feels basic compared to what tools like Obsidian offer.
Favorites notes or Star Cards: I love to star or favorite some notes in Constella, this might be done via saved searches but I would love a simplified way.
Who Should Care About Constella?
If you’re someone who:
- Thinks visually but needs structured productivity features
- Jumps between devices and wants seamless capture everywhere
- Values connections over categorization
- Wants the canvas freedom of pencil and paper in digital form
Then Constella deserves a spot in your productivity stack evaluation.
The Bigger Picture
What excites me most about Constella isn’t just another note-taking app — it’s the recognition that thinking isn’t linear. Your ideas don’t live in isolation, and your productivity system shouldn’t force them to.
The combination of visual hierarchy, strong linking capabilities, and daily workflow integration positions Constella as more than just a digital whiteboard. It’s a thinking environment that adapts to how your brain actually works.
Final Verdict
Constella feels like the spiritual successor to my beloved pencil-and-paper methodology, but with the superpowers that only digital tools can provide: search, synchronization, and infinite space.
While it’s not perfect (what productivity tool is?), it represents a meaningful step toward tools that enhance rather than constrain how we think and create.
Would I switch my entire PKM stack to Constella? Not yet. But would I integrate it for specific visual thinking workflows? Absolutely. I will be spending a good amount of time next few weeks before I make the decision to jump to Constella or not.
If you are someone like me and wish to explore Constella, use my promo code ‘theAPPadvocate’ and you will support a writer-productivity app review.
What’s your experience with visual note-taking tools? Are you team folders-and-files, or do you crave the canvas freedom? Let me know in the comments.
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Taylin SimmondsCreator & Writer
