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
- AppImage
- Mozilla Firefox
Features
Properties
- 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
- Backlinks
- No Tracking
- Wiki
- LaTeX Math
- Multiplatform
- Markdown preview
- Folder Hierarchy
- 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
- End-to-End Encryption
- File Tagging
- WYSIWYG HTML Editor
- Handwritten Notes
- Portable
- Autocompletion
- Two-factor Authentication
- Web Clipper
- Encrypted Backup
- Save as Markdown
- HTML/CSS/JS rendering
- Hyperlinks
- Electron based
- Note Manager
- Cross Linking
- Graphs
- Graph relationships
- PKM
- Split-screen view
- Plain text file
- 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
Obsidian News & Activities
Recent News
- Fla published news article about Obsidian
Obsidian 1.13.6 adds mobile swipe-to-close and improves tab managementObsidian 1.13.6 is now available, adding a swipe-to-close gesture to the mobile tab switcher. The u...
- Fla published news article about Obsidian
Obsidian 1.13 adds searchable settings, image controls and iOS share sheetObsidian 1.13 delivers a fully redesigned Settings panel with search and complete keyboard navigati...
- Fla published news article about Obsidian
Obsidian 1.13.0 debuts revamped settings panel with search and keyboard navigationObsidian 1.13.0 introduces a redesigned Settings panel that opens in a new window, featuring built-...
Recent activities
- dimashahbari liked Obsidian
- wurkhaus liked Obsidian
ForgeTalesStudio added Obsidian as alternative to ForgeTales- Kirihi147 liked Obsidian
- petiveapp liked Obsidian
- Dramatize0089 liked Obsidian
belovkirill added Obsidian as alternative to Holacrafts
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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 become a featured organization.
Obsidian Videos
Obsidian information
Developed by
Shida Li and Erica Xu Licensing
Proprietary and Freemium product.Pricing
Subscription ranging between $4 and $10 per month + free version with limited functionality.Rating
Average rating of 4.7Alternatives
331 alternatives listedNews
28 news article related to ObsidianSupported Languages
- English
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Belarusian
- Catalan; Valencian
- Czech
- Danish
- German
- Spanish
- Persian
- French
- Hebrew
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Latvian
- Malay
- Sanskrit (Sa?sk?ta)
- Dutch
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Albanian
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Chinese
AlternativeTo Categories
Office & Productivity, Security & Privacy, News & Books, Development, Backup & Sync, File Management, Social & Communications, Online Services, Education & Reference, Business & CommerceApple AppStore
- Updated
- 4.49 avg rating
Comments and Reviews
A great knowledge tool based in simple markdown files. You're in charge of your own data.
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
The notetaking app that changed my life. It made me so much more efficient.
Local markdown files as the source of truth is the right call, and the plugin ecosystem is unmatched. It gets heavy once the plugins pile up, but plain files mean you can always walk away with your notes.
A powerful second brain with excellent linking, Markdown support, and local storage. It is flexible enough to build a durable knowledge base around the way you actually think and work.
I've used many note taking apps over the decades (including EverNote, OneNote, Notion). I landed on Obsidian and have been very happy with it. With the official Sync subscription, it works great across all my devices. Being able to sync all my notes offline on my mobile phone is critical for me (I'm often traveling without cell phone connection), and Obsidian handles that use case well.
Obsidian is deceptively simple. It does not enforce a workflow nor work style (as opposed to, i.e LogSeq) and it takes a while of getting used to. But after that, to me, it is absolutely in its own league.
I use git sync, free and very private plus GitLab pages for publish - also free.