Overview
Obsidian is a note-taking app that stores notes as plain Markdown files in a local folder, called a vault, on the user’s own device. The company was started in 2020 by Erica Xu and Shida Li; its about page lists Steph Ango as chief executive and states that the company is 100% supported by its users, not investors[6]. Its published principles include future-proof data in open formats and privacy through on-device storage[6].
The core app is free without limits and requires no sign-up. Revenue comes from optional services: Sync, Publish, a voluntary Commercial licence and the Catalyst early-access tier[5]. Development is rapid and public. The changelog records Obsidian 1.14 (5 October 2026), which added a kanban view to Bases, the built-in database feature, and Obsidian 1.15 (2 November 2026), which brought mobile PDF export and reorderable Bases filters[7].
Obsidian’s strengths are data ownership, backlinks and a graph of linked notes, and a large ecosystem of community plugins. Its limitations follow from the same design: real-time collaboration is not the focus, sync between devices costs extra unless the user arranges a third-party method, and the flexibility of plugins and settings asks more set-up time than Apple Notes or Google Keep. Teams wanting shared editing usually pair it with another tool or choose Notion.
Obsidian features
- Notes stored as local Markdown files
- Backlinks and graph view
- Bases: database-style views over notes
- Community plugins and themes
- Optional end-to-end encrypted Sync
- Publish notes as a website
Obsidian pricing
App: free, including for work use. Sync: US$4/user/month billed annually or US$5 monthly. Publish: US$8/site/month billed annually or US$10 monthly. Commercial licence: US$50/user/year, optional. Catalyst: US$25 one-time for early access.
Obsidian strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Free core app with no account required
- Plain Markdown files avoid lock-in
- Frequent, documented releases
- Large plugin ecosystem
Limitations
- Device sync is a paid add-on
- Limited real-time collaboration
- Plugin-heavy set-ups take time to configure
- Publishing is a separate subscription
Appears in
Obsidian alternatives and competitors
Alternatives to Obsidian: companies ranked in the same lists.
Notion AI
Microsoft OneNote
Evernote
Apple- Google Keep
Goodnotes
Notability
Bear
Craft- Joplin
Standard Notes
Logseq
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