What is Obsidian?
Obsidian keeps notes as plain Markdown files in a folder on your own disk rather than in a vendor's database, so a vault stays readable by any text editor whether or not Obsidian is installed. On top of those files it adds links between notes, a graph view, canvases and a community plugin directory. The app is free for personal use with no sign-up and no note limit; syncing across devices and publishing notes to the web are separate subscriptions. It suits people who want their notes to outlive the app that wrote them.
Verified product facts
- Type
- note-taking appEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- Dynalist Inc.Developer-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Current version
- 1.13.7Developer-stated
- Official website
- obsidian.md/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Obsidian does at a glance.
Vault of plain Markdown files
Stored on local disk
Wiki-style links
Between notes plus a graph view
Canvas
For arranging notes spatially
Community plugin directory
Optional end-to-end encrypted sync
Between devices
Publishing notes to the web as a site
What you can use Obsidian for
- Keeping notes as Markdown files in a folder you own
- Linking notes together and exploring them in the graph view
- Arranging notes spatially on a canvas
- Extending the editor with community plugins
- Publishing a set of notes to the web as a site
Who is Obsidian for?
- People who want their notes to outlive the app that wrote them
- Users who prefer plain Markdown files on disk over a hosted database
- Anyone who wants a note app that is free for personal use with no sign-up and no note limit
Who is Obsidian not for?
- Users who expect built-in cross-device sync — syncing requires an Obsidian Sync subscription at $4 per user per month
- Anyone who wants web publishing included rather than a separate $8 per site per month subscription
- Teams that want a hosted workspace rather than files on each person's disk
Limitations
- Syncing across devices is not included; it requires the paid Obsidian Sync subscription
- Publishing notes to the web is a separate paid subscription
- Catalyst licences, commercial licences and Obsidian Credit are non-refundable; only Sync and Publish can be refunded within 7 days
- The build's CPU architecture is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
Strengths and trade-offs
What Obsidian does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Free for personal use with no sign-up and no limit on the number of notes.Developer-stated
- Notes are plain Markdown files in a local folder, so a vault stays readable without Obsidian.Developer-stated
- Obsidian Sync encrypts synced data end-to-end with AES-256, so the vendor cannot read it.Developer-stated
- The developer states the apps collect no telemetry and that user data is never sold.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Syncing across devices requires an Obsidian Sync subscription of $4 per user per month, billed annually.
- Publishing notes to the web is a separate subscription of $8 per site per month.
- Catalyst and commercial licences and Obsidian Credit are non-refundable; the 7-day refund window covers only Sync and Publish.
- A commercial licence is requested for workplace use, even though Obsidian states it is not required.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download a .dmg from obsidian.md and drag the app to Applications; no account or payment is required.
- First launch Developer-stated
- Create a vault by choosing a folder on disk — the vault is the folder, not an account.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Because a vault is a folder of Markdown files, other editors, sync tools and backup software can operate on it directly.
What it does
Obsidian is built around a vault: a folder on your own disk holding plain Markdown files. Opening a vault does not import your notes into a database — it indexes the folder. That single decision explains most of the app’s other properties, including why a vault stays readable by any text editor and why backup software already on the Mac picks it up without configuration.
On top of the files it adds [[links]] between notes, a graph view of those
links, canvases for arranging notes spatially, and a community plugin
directory for extending the editor.
Pricing
The app is free for personal use: no sign-up, no note limit, and no paid tier gating core editing. Two optional services are sold separately, both billed annually:
| Service | Price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian Sync | $4 | per user, per month |
| Obsidian Publish | $8 | per site, per month |
A commercial licence costs $50 per user per year. Obsidian states this is not required even for workplace use — it is described as a way to fund independent development. Students, faculty and non-profit employees receive a 40% discount on Sync and Publish.
Refunds are asymmetric, and worth knowing before buying: Sync and Publish can be refunded within 7 days, while Catalyst licences, commercial licences and Obsidian Credit are non-refundable.
Privacy
Notes are stored locally and the developer states the apps collect no telemetry. If you subscribe to Sync, data is encrypted end-to-end with AES-256, which means the vendor cannot read the contents of a synced vault.
Apple Silicon
This entry records Apple Silicon support as unknown rather than assuming it. No page Nuanyue checked states the desktop build’s architecture, and the absence of a source is not evidence that support is missing.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for Obsidian, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
1.13.7
Current macOS release published on the official GitHub release channel.
Source: Official website
Questions about Obsidian
Is Obsidian free?
Yes for personal use. The app has no sign-up and no limit on notes. Obsidian Sync costs $4 per user per month and Publish costs $8 per site per month, both billed annually, and both are optional.
Does Obsidian store my notes on its servers?
No. Notes are stored locally on your device. Data is transmitted only if you subscribe to Obsidian Sync, which encrypts it end-to-end with AES-256.
Do I need a commercial licence to use Obsidian at work?
No. Obsidian states a commercial licence is not required, but encourages organisations to buy one at $50 per user per year to keep development independent.
What is the latest Obsidian version?
1.13.7 for macOS.
Alternatives to Obsidian
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Logseq
Privacy-first, open-source knowledge base.
Both build a linked knowledge base from local files; Logseq is outline-first where Obsidian is document-first.
Joplin
Open-source markdown notes with end-to-end encryption and sync you control.
Both keep notes in a local-first store, but Joplin is open source and offers end-to-end encrypted sync without a paid tier.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Notion
Hosted workspace for notes, docs, databases and wikis.
Both are general-purpose note workspaces, but Notion stores content in a hosted database while Obsidian keeps Markdown files on disk.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Craft
Block-based docs, notes and tasks for Mac, with AI and publishing built in.
Both are Mac note apps with structured documents, but Craft is a hosted subscription product rather than a folder of files.
Typora
Minimal Markdown editor with live in-place rendering.
Both edit Markdown on macOS, but Typora is a single-file editor with no vault graph or plugin ecosystem.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Obsidian — official websiteGrade B
- Dynalist Inc. — developer websiteGrade B
- Obsidian — documentationGrade C
