Capacities vs Obsidian
Capacities: A note app that organizes ideas as connected objects with types, rather than files and folders. Obsidian: Local-first notes in a folder of Markdown files, with optional paid sync and publishing.
| Capacities | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan, Pro $9.99 per month | Free for personal use |
| Free option | Basic is free forever: unlimited spaces, objects and blocks, sync, offline support, import and export, 5 GB media uploads in total then 100 MB per month | Free without limits for personal use, no sign-up required |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary, free for personal use |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Notes stored as | Synced to the vendor cloud, hosted in EU data centers, with offline support | Plain Markdown files on your device |
Choose Capacities if
- you think in people, topics and projects and want typed, linked objects
- you want a free plan with sync and offline access
- you do not need your notes as files on disk
Strengths
- Object types and links let you model people, books, meetings and projects as structured notes
- Free plan keeps sync, offline use and export
- Apps for desktop and mobile, including Linux
- Independent company, the vendor says it has no venture funding
Limits
- Proprietary and stored in the vendor cloud, not as a folder of Markdown files
- AI, tasks, smart queries and the API need a paid plan
- Capacities describes export as standard formats without naming Markdown on its pricing page
Pricing details
- Pro: $9.99 per month (USD), adds AI assistant, task management, smart queries, calendar integration, version history and Public API
- Believer: from $12.49 per month (USD), everything in Pro plus beta access to major new features
- Plus add-on for a larger AI budget: $8.33 per month billed annually
- The pricing page has a yearly billing toggle with a stated 16 percent discount. Prices checked 2026-10-25 and may differ at checkout
Choose Obsidian if
- you want your notes to stay as plain Markdown files you control
- you like extending your editor with community plugins
- you work alone or share notes by file rather than by live workspace
Strengths
- Your notes are ordinary Markdown files in a folder, so any other editor can open them
- Large plugin and theme ecosystem
- Backlinks and graph view for linked notes
- End-to-end encrypted sync (AES-256) if you pay for it
Limits
- The app itself is not open source
- Sync and Publish are paid add-ons
- No real-time multi-user editing like a shared workspace tool
Pricing details
- Sync: $4 per user per month billed annually, or $5 billed monthly
- Publish: $8 per site per month billed annually, or $10 billed monthly
- Commercial license: $50 per user per year, optional (the vendor says commercial use does not require it)
- Catalyst: $25 one-time optional license
Capacities
A note app that organizes ideas as connected objects with types, rather than files and folders.
Proprietary
- Price: Free plan, Pro $9.99 per month
- Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Storage: Synced to the vendor cloud, hosted in EU data centers, with offline support
Obsidian
Local-first notes in a folder of Markdown files, with optional paid sync and publishing.
Proprietary
- Price: Free for personal use
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
- Storage: Plain Markdown files on your device
Details come from each vendor's own website and were checked on 2026-10-25. Confirm current prices on the vendor page.