Obsidian
Note Taking · Free · since 2020
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Obsidian stores your notes as local markdown files, giving you full ownership of your data. It features bidirectional linking, graph view, and a massive plugin ecosystem built by the community.
Free for personal use. Sync ($4/mo) and Publish ($8/mo) are paid add-ons.
pros
- Local-first — your notes are plain markdown files you own
- Powerful bidirectional linking and graph view
- Huge plugin ecosystem (1,000+)
- Works offline, fast and responsive
cons
- No real-time collaboration
- Sync requires paid add-on or third-party solution
- Steeper setup than Notion for non-technical users
- Mobile app is less polished than desktop
top Obsidian alternatives
Notion All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, project management, and databases. Free 
Logseq Open-source, local-first outliner for knowledge management with bidirectional linking. Free 
Roam Research Networked note-taking tool with bidirectional links and graph-based knowledge management. $15/mo 
Apple Notes Built-in note-taking app for Apple devices with iCloud sync, folders, and basic formatting. Free Obsidian compared
Notion vs Obsidian · Obsidian vs Logseq · Obsidian vs Roam Research · Obsidian vs Coda · Obsidian vs Craft · Obsidian vs Mem · Obsidian vs Apple Notes · Obsidian vs Bear
more note taking tools
Notion All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, project management, and databases. Free Logseq Open-source, local-first outliner for knowledge management with bidirectional linking. Free Roam Research Networked note-taking tool with bidirectional links and graph-based knowledge management. $15/mo 
Coda All-in-one doc platform combining documents, spreadsheets, and app-like functionality. Free 
Craft Native document editor for Mac and iOS with beautiful formatting and real-time collaboration. Free 
Mem AI-powered note-taking that automatically organizes and surfaces relevant information. Free