Obsidian vs Notion
Obsidian: Local-first notes in a folder of Markdown files, with optional paid sync and publishing. Notion: Cloud workspace of pages and databases for teams, with Markdown import and export.
| Obsidian | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for personal use | Free plan, paid from $10 per member per month |
| Free option | Free without limits for personal use, no sign-up required | Free plan with limits: 5 MB per file upload, 7 days of page history, up to 10 guests |
| License | Proprietary, free for personal use | Proprietary SaaS |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Notes stored as | Plain Markdown files on your device | Notion cloud, block-based pages (Markdown import and export) |
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
Choose Notion if
- you want docs, databases and tasks in one shared workspace
- you your team needs comments, permissions and guests
- you care more about collaboration than owning plain files
Strengths
- Databases, tables and project views alongside documents
- Built for teams: sharing, comments and guests
- Publish a page to the web as a notion.site page
Limits
- Content lives in Notion rather than in files you own; Markdown is an import and export format
- Workspaces with 2 or more members on the free plan have a block limit
- Per-member pricing adds up for larger teams
Pricing details
- Free: $0 per member per month
- Plus: $10 per member per month billed monthly
- Business: $20 per member per month billed monthly
- Enterprise: custom pricing
- The vendor advertises up to 20% off with yearly billing
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
Notion
Cloud workspace of pages and databases for teams, with Markdown import and export.
Proprietary
- Price: Free plan, paid from $10 per member per month
- Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- Storage: Notion cloud, block-based pages (Markdown import and export)
Details come from each vendor's own website and were checked on 2026-10-18. Confirm current prices on the vendor page.