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Obsidian Free

A powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

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Key Features

Pricing

Obsidian is free for personal use. Obsidian Sync ($5/month) and Obsidian Publish ($10/month) are optional paid add-ons. Commercial use requires a $50/year license.

Why Knowledge Workers Choose Obsidian

Obsidian is built on a fundamentally different philosophy than cloud-first note apps like Notion or Roam Research. Your notes are stored as plain Markdown files in a local folder — no proprietary format, no vendor lock-in, and full control over your data. The 600+ community plugins extend functionality without compromising this local-first principle.

The graph view visualizes connections between notes, helping you discover unexpected relationships between ideas. For researchers, writers, and software developers managing complex knowledge bases, Obsidian's bidirectional linking creates a personal Wikipedia that grows more valuable as you add content. The optional Sync service provides end-to-end encrypted synchronization across devices without storing your unencrypted data on company servers.

PlatformsmacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Rating★★★★★ 4.9
CategoryProductivity Tools

Obsidian vs Alternatives

FeatureObsidianNotionRoam Research
StorageLocal Markdown filesCloud-onlyCloud-only
PriceFree (personal)Free / $10/mo$15/mo
Plugins600+ communityLimited integrationsLimited extensions
Offline✅ Full❌ No❌ No
Open Source⚠️ Source available❌ Proprietary❌ Proprietary