Obsidian

Plain markdown files on your disk, with a plugin ecosystem bolted on top.

By Obsidian (Dynalist Inc.) · since 2020 · obsidian.md

8.4

A- · out of 10

Obsidian reads a folder of markdown files and turns it into a linked vault with backlinks, a graph and a canvas. Nothing is locked in a proprietary format, which is why it has become the default for people who plan to keep their notes for a decade. Almost every advanced feature is a community plugin.

How it scores

  • Features25% of score

    9.4

    Depth and breadth of what the app can do.

  • Ease of use20% of score

    7.6

    Speed, polish and how long it takes to feel at home.

  • AI15% of score

    6.4

    Quality and usefulness of the built-in AI, not just its presence.

  • Sync & reliability15% of score

    8.6

    How dependably notes move between devices.

  • Value15% of score

    9.6

    What you get for what you pay.

  • Platform coverage10% of score

    8.6

    How many places you can actually use it.

Pricing

$4/month · $48/year

Free tier: The full app is free forever, for personal and commercial use.

Sync is $4/month billed yearly and Publish is $8/month. Both are optional; the app itself never expires.

Platforms

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Web

72 tracked features supported

What it does well

  • Your notes are markdown files you can open with anything, forever
  • Two thousand plus community plugins cover almost any workflow
  • Graph view and backlinks are the reference implementation
  • Free for real work, with genuinely cheap optional sync

Where it falls short

  • You assemble your own app, and that takes evenings you may not want to spend
  • No real-time collaboration
  • AI only arrives through third-party plugins and your own API key
  • Mobile is capable but noticeably heavier than the desktop app

Our take

The safest long-term home for a personal knowledge base. Budget a weekend for setup, and accept that AI here is bring-your-own.

Best for: Long-term thinkers who want to own the files and are willing to tinker.

Linked thinking / PKMPrivacy & ownershipMinimal & fast

Feature by feature

YesPartlyVia pluginNo

Capture & input

How notes get into the app in the first place.

  • Voice recording
  • Audio transcriptionVia plugin
  • Speaker identification
  • Meeting recordingVia plugin
  • Handwriting / stylusVia plugin
  • Drawing canvas
  • OCR / handwriting searchVia plugin
  • Web clipper
  • Share extension
  • Quick capturePartly
  • Images
  • PDF & documents
  • Document scanning

Organization

How notes are structured, linked and found again.

  • Tags
  • Folders / notebooks
  • Multi-level folders
  • Internal links
  • Backlinks
  • Graph view
  • Databases / boards
  • Daily notes / journal
  • Note templates
  • Saved searchesPartly
  • Pins / favorites
  • Merge notes

AI

Assistants, generators and meaning-based search.

  • AI chat / writing assistantVia plugin
  • AI agent with toolsVia plugin
  • Custom AI agentsVia plugin
  • Semantic searchVia plugin
  • AI web searchVia plugin
  • Connected apps for AIVia plugin
  • Prompt templatesVia plugin
  • Custom AI instructionsVia plugin
  • AI memoryVia plugin
  • Scheduled AI tasksVia plugin
  • Flashcard generatorVia plugin
  • Spaced repetitionVia plugin
  • Quiz generatorVia plugin
  • Fill in the blankVia plugin
  • Mind mapsVia plugin
  • AI image generationVia plugin
  • Infographic generator
  • Slide deck generatorVia plugin
  • AI mini apps
  • Brainrot video generator
  • AI audio overview
  • Bring your own modelVia plugin
  • AI job notifications

Writing & editing

What the editor itself can actually do.

  • Markdown
  • Rich textPartly
  • Code blocks
  • Math / LaTeX
  • Tables
  • Find and replace
  • Version historyPartly
  • Note info

Sync & data ownership

Where your notes live and how easily they leave.

  • Cloud sync
  • Sync through your own cloud
  • Offline support
  • Offline-first / own your data
  • Self-hostingPartly
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Locked notesVia plugin
  • Daily backupVia plugin
  • Import
  • Export
  • Public APIVia plugin
  • Command line tool
  • Remote MCP serverVia plugin
  • Plugins / extensions

Sharing & collaboration

Working with other people inside your notes.

  • Share with people
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Comments
  • Public sharing

Experience

The everyday polish around the writing surface.

  • Dark mode
  • Custom themes
  • Multi-language
  • Command palette
  • Split view
  • Focus modeVia plugin
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Shortcuts

Compare with

All Obsidian alternatives

Obsidian vs Grape

Adds: Speaker identification, Document scanning

9.0

Obsidian vs Apple Notes

Already on your phone, and better than it has any right to be.

8.1

Obsidian vs Craft

Documents that look designed before you touch anything.

8.1

Obsidian vs RemNote

Take notes and generate the flashcards in the same keystroke.

7.9