Foam, Dendron — PKM in VS Code

For developers who already live in VS Code / Cursor / Code-OSS / Codium, two FOSS extensions deliver Roam-shape and Dendron-shape PKM without leaving the editor. Pair with pkm-overview-methodologies; see also pkm-obsidian-deep, pkm-logseq-deep, pkm-org-mode-orgroam, markdown.

Foam ★

• ★ Free OSS (MIT).
• ★ VS Code extension — Roam-shape with bidirectional [[wikilinks]], backlinks panel, graph view.
• Markdown files on disk — your notes are a git repo.
• Templates, daily notes, orphan finder out of the box.
• GitHub Pages publish with a couple of GitHub Actions.
• Foam workspace template — clone, write, push.
• https://github.com/foambubble/foam

Pick Foam if: you live in VS Code, you want Obsidian-shape but as code, and git push is your idea of sync.

Dendron ★

• ★ Free OSS (GPL).
• ★ VS Code extension — hierarchical notes; filenames encode hierarchy with dots: engineering.docker.networking.md.
• Lookup palette — fuzzy-find by hierarchy.
• Schemas + multi-vault — useful for teams.
• Dendron Publish — static site export.
• Note state — there's a 2024 reduced-maintenance signal from the Dendron team; the project still works but velocity is slower than Foam / Obsidian. Adopt with eyes open.
• https://github.com/dendronhq/dendron

Pick Dendron if: hierarchy-first appeals to you, you don't mind a quieter project, and the lookup palette UX clicks.

VS Code as a markdown editor (without Foam / Dendron)

• ★ Markdown All in One — keyboard shortcuts, TOC, list editing.
• Markdown Preview Enhanced — KaTeX, Mermaid, code-block exec.
• Paste Image — paste screenshots; saves to a folder; inserts the link.
• Excalidraw VS Code — embed Excalidraw drawings.
• vscode-memo — backlinks / wikilinks for any markdown folder; a Foam alternative.

Why some people prefer VS Code over Obsidian

• ★ Already there. No extra app; multi-folder workspace; integrated terminal.
• ★ Git is one click. Source control panel; commit, push, history.
• ★ Extension breadth — formatters, linters, spell-check, Mermaid preview.
• Programmable — VS Code extensions are TS/JS; you can build custom UIs.

Why most people don't

• Editor UX — VS Code is a code editor; the prose flow is rougher than Obsidian / Logseq.
• No Dataview — Foam has limited query support; Dendron has schemas; neither matches Dataview.
• Mobile is non-existent — there's GitHub.dev / vscode.dev / Codespaces but it's not a daily driver on a phone.
• Smaller PKM communities.

Mobile companions

• Working Copy (paid iOS) — git client + markdown editor; clones your Foam vault and lets you edit on the go.
• GitJournal (free Android) — git + markdown; designed for a Foam-shape workflow.
• Markor (free Android) — opens any markdown folder; great if your vault is in Syncthing / DAVx5.
• Obsidian Mobile — yes, Obsidian can open a Foam vault as long as the wikilinks match. Use Obsidian on mobile, VS Code + Foam on desktop. Many people do this.

Roam Research / Athens (paid + sunset)

• Roam Research — paid; the original outliner-with-backlinks; community quieter since 2023; many users moved to Logseq.
• Athens Research — Roam alternative; sunset 2023; archive only.
• See pkm-migration-portability if you're moving off either.

Pick this if…

• You already work in VS Code: Foam (Roam-shape) or Dendron (hierarchical).
• You want git-first PKM: Foam.
• You want a hierarchy-first PKM: Dendron, with eyes open about its slower 2024-26 pace.
• You want a separate dedicated app: Obsidian / Logseq — see pkm-obsidian-deep, pkm-logseq-deep.
• You're an Emacs user: see pkm-org-mode-orgroam.
• You want a Roam refugee plan: Logseq is closest in shape; Foam if you prefer code-editor flow.