Obsidian
Privacy-oriented note-taking app for non-linear thinking, blending knowledge graph creation with wiki-style linking. Supports Markdown, end-to-end encryption, and plugins for customization. Offers distraction-free mode, tags, themes, syntax highlighting, and operates offline without tracking.
Cost / License
- Freemium (Subscription)
- Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Snapcraft
- Microsoft Edge
- Google Chrome
- Flathub
- Safari
- Mozilla Firefox
Features
Properties
- Lightweight
- Intuitive Interface
- Privacy focused
- Support for Themes
- Distraction-free
Features
- Support for MarkDown
- Local Storage
- Works Offline
- Graph view
- Bidirectional links
- Mind Mapping
- No registration required
- Personal Information Manager (PIM)
- Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
- Knowledge Management
- Dark Mode
- Backlink
- Custom themes
- Note organization
- Write files in markdown
- Knowledge Base structuring
- Tagging
- Wiki-like local linking
- Search by tags
- No Tracking
- Backlinks
- Wiki
- LaTeX Math
- Multiplatform
- Markdown preview
- Save as Markdown
- Ad-free
- Syntax Highlighting
- Full-Text Search
- Spell Checking
- Code Formatting
- No Coding Required
Support for LaTeX
- Live Preview
- Cloud Sync
- Hierarchical Structure
- Calendar View
- File Tagging
- WYSIWYG HTML Editor
- End-to-End Encryption
- Handwritten Notes
- Portable
- Autocompletion
- Two-factor Authentication
- Web Clipper
- Encrypted Backup
- Folder Hierarchy
- HTML/CSS/JS rendering
- Hyperlinks
- Note Manager
- Cross Linking
- Graphs
- Graph relationships
- PKM
- Split-screen view
- Plain text file
- Electron based
- Backlink-aware editor
- Live editing
- Multitasking
- Query Engine
- Finds unlinked references
- Embedded video
- No Root Required
- Nested tags
- Block reference
- Sort by date
- Dynamic content
- Flow Chart
- RTL support
Zotero integration
- Built-in player
- Integrated PDF Viewer
Tags
- Writing tool
- Security & Privacy
- encryptable-notes
- Productivity Tool
Obsidian News & Activities
Recent News
- Fla published news article about Obsidian
Obsidian 1.10.3 expands Bases with grouping, summaries, and mapsObsidian 1.10.3 introduces significant enhancements to the Bases plugin, including group by options...
- Maoholguin published news article about Obsidian
Obsidian launches new Bases plugin for database workflows and property format changesObsidian latest update debuts the new Bases plugin, allowing users to transform sets of notes into ...
- Fla published news article about Obsidian
Obsidian 1.9.5 introduces formula editor and Bases improvementsObsidian 1.9.5 introduces a formula editor for Bases with syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and do...
Recent activities
- Jackzhaoxiao liked Obsidian
elasticnote added Obsidian as alternative to Elasticnote
haidoit added Obsidian as alternative to Journal it!
yousef-mohamad added Obsidian as alternative to myfreelancermate- git-legend liked Obsidian
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What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a note-taking app that encourages non-linear thinking by allowing easy transitions between ideas. It allows connections between notes, creating a wiki-like linkage. Notes are stored locally as Markdown files, giving users control over their data and enhancing security and privacy.
Obsidian also features a customizable plugin system, with options like an in-app PDF viewer and an audio player. It supports embedding multimedia files with the ![[image.png]] syntax.
The software is free for both personal and commercial use, but additional services like Sync and Publish are available for a fee:
- Sync ($5 per month, $48 per year): Allows sync across devices with end-to-end encryption and version history.
- Publish ($10 per month, $96 per year): Allows publishing to Obsidian Publish.
There are also optional licenses to help development:
- Catalyst ($25 one-time payment): Grants early access to beta versions of Obsidian, access to insider channels and community badges.
- Commercial ($50 per year): Originally required for commercial use, it's meant to support the development and becoming a featured organization.










Comments and Reviews
Well beyond a simply repository of notes, it really links ideas together and provides knowledge related. Great software.
Still has a way to go. Editing is not intuitive, and it frequently makes formatting mistakes. I constantly have to open the md files in an external text editor to correct the formatting. I had hoped the Draw.io plugins would work, but alas no. There's no way to create a diagram. Apparently you need to make a diagram externally and link it into your document.
I don't want to question your experience with Obsidian, but
Offline-first, simple and cross-platform
This is great for note taking and mind mapping. However I add a lot of photos and screenshots from phone/iPad, which I then put into presentation or reports in other apps, Canva, Libre or MS Office. Unfortunately with Obsidian I can't just copy those saved images into other documents, so I am still using OneNote.
Backlinks help me spot connections I would’ve missed in a normal notes app.
Has changed the way I think and plan my life, absolute recommend
Great note-taking app that supports MD (Markdown).