In this Notion vs Obsidian comparison, I will show you the key differences between these two productivity tools. I will compare Obsidian to Notion based on features, pricing, user interfaces, and pros and cons. I spent numerous hours with both note-taking apps in the past years, and I am here to share the benefits and limitations of each tool to ensure you make the right choice.
These are the key points that I explored during the Notion vs Obsidian clash:
- Notion is a more user-friendly app with a shorter learning curve.
- You can use Notion in various workflows besides note-taking.
- Notion has many team collaboration features and more suitable for project management.
- Both Obsidian and Notion have mobile apps.
- Obsidian is a safer note-taking app than Notion.
- Obsidian has more powerful note-taking tools than Notion.
- Obsidian has an offline mode as well.
Now, let’s dive into the side-by-side comparison of Notion vs Obsidian!
Key differences between Notion and Obsidian
Here is a short overview of the key differences I found in the Notion vs Obsidian showdown:
| Notion | Obsidian | |
| Best for | Individuals and teams | Individuals |
| Features | Notes, Project management, Templates, Wikis, AI writing assistant, Calendar | Note-taking, Graph view and internal links, Plugins, Canvas view |
| User interface | Simple user interface, but the tons of features might feel overwhelming at first | Old-fashioned, and complex, and has a long learning curve |
| Integrations | Extensive integrations (+7,000) | Limited integrations |
| Pricing | Free plan: Available Plus plan: €9.5 per month per user Business plan: €14 per month per user Enterprise plan: Custom pricing | Free plan: Available Commercial use license: $50 per year Obsidian Sync add-on: $4 per month Obsidian Publish add-on: $8 per month Catalyst: $25+ one-time payment |
| Mobile app | Available | Available |
| Offline version | No | Yes |
| G2 or Product Hunt ratings | 4.7 | 4.9 |
Comparison: Notion vs Obsidian
First, I will show you both productivity apps’ features one by one. Second, I will guide you through their user interfaces, integration options, and pricing. Lastly, I will show you the pros and cons of Notion and Obsidian and their alternatives and reveal my pick.
What is Notion?
Notion is like a Swiss army knife; you can use it for many purposes. It provides a centralized workspace where you can organize your thoughts, notes, tasks, projects, and documents in one place. Personally, I use Notion to write scripts, track projects, and organize learning.
You can create pages for almost every purpose, such as reading lists, meeting summaries, goals, etc. Every item on a page is customizable; you can easily drag and drop items and insert pictures or videos.
It is also a great tool with numerous collaboration features for teams. You can invite your team members to work on pages in real-time, create and assign tasks and projects to others, and much more.
What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a powerful note-taking application that has grown fast over the last few years. It has a local first approach, meaning your files are stored locally, and only you can access your notes.
Besides using Obsidian on your PC (Mac, Windows, and Linux), you can access your notes from mobile devices, including IOS and Android. However, you need to have a paid plan to sync notes on multiple devices. But I will talk about this later.
When it comes to taking notes, Obsidian uses markdown language. So, when you create paragraphs, Obsidian uses a blank line to separate blocks of text. This way, all your blocks will be separated by a blank line and treated as a distinct paragraph.
Nevertheless, using markdown files has additional advantages. Essentially, markdown files are widely supported, and you can transfer these files to other note-taking apps if you want to switch from Obsidian in the future. This way, you can own your data and notes, no matter which note-taking app you use.
Also, one thing to consider is the regular updates. Obsidian’s team continuously develops this note-taking app, so it will just get better in the future. This is one of the reasons why many people have moved from Evernote to Obisidan in recent years.
Key features
Notion’s features
Let’s start with Notion’s features!
Note-taking tools
Notion is one of the most popular note-taking apps, and it is not an accident. Just to give you a background on how this app works: You can have multiple workspaces in which you structure your notes and basically everything. For example, you can have a workspace for personal or work-related items. The workspaces include your pages.
The pages are the fundamentals of your workspaces. You can use them for notes, projects, tasks, and so on. There are no strict rules on how you structure your pages or what information you want to include in them. For instance, in my Notion’s workspace, there are pages dedicated to self-development, money plans, YT scripts, admin info, and notes. Now, let’s go back to note-taking!
Notion is a sophisticated text editor that allows you to easily add and organize different types of content called blocks. When writing your notes, you can add headings, sub-pages, bullet points, and tables without touching your mouse.
In your notes, you can insert images, bookmarks, videos, code, kanban board, and more by simply hitting the “/” button on your keyboard. I especially love the embedded functions. Notion offers multiple embedded forms like YouTube videos, Google Docs, Google Maps, Miro, and more.
Notion is incredibly useful for note organization and management. You can tag notes with custom keywords, add teammates, set due dates, etc. You can access all your notes with your sidebar on the left.
Project management tool
Notion also works as a simple project and task management tool with many built-in collaboration features, so you can plan and execute your projects with your team. Let’s start with the project management features.
With Notion, you can visualize your projects’ workflows in different formats, from calendars to boards. Depending on the format you choose, Notion allows you to use progress bars to show how your project is moving forward. You can also create charts or visualize dependencies to see when one task is blocking another and avoid bottlenecks.
When checking your projects, you can utilize filters to show only the tasks assigned to you or the urgent ones.
Notion’s task management features have everything that you need. You can break your projects into manageable tasks and add status, assignee, or due dates.
Whether you want to use Notion for project or task management, you do not have to spend hours creating the proper form for you or your team. This is where you can use the templates.
Customizable templates
Notion currently has more than 20,000 free templates from which you can browse. This is an insane number. Just to give you an example: if you want to create a to-do list, you can choose from 460 templates.
Utilizing the templates, you do not have to go through the time-consuming process of creating pages to track your projects or tasks. With a few clicks, you can insert a template you like, and you just need to add the databases.
AI writing assistant
Notion’s AI writing assistant can greatly improve your writing by detecting errors and correcting misspelled words and incorrect grammar. But it can do much more.
On the bottom left corner of Notion, you can access the AI assistant feature that answers your questions, gives you summaries, translates your page, finds action items, and helps you improve your writing. Basically, it works like a built-in ChatGPT.
But it can do more than just work with text. The AI writing assistant’s feature can help you gather information from various file types, including PDFs and images.
Overall, these tools help you to become more efficient when taking notes.
Wikis
Team members often struggle to find the information they need. Using Notion, you can create your own knowledge library. These hubs can help your team members find and understand the information they need to do their jobs.
Imagine how powerful it could be when onboarding new employees or just wanting to have organized databases where your team members can access the information they need to do their jobs.
Calendar
You can connect your Google Calendar with your existing Notion workspace, so you will be able to see your meetings and appointments in your Notion calendar. Notion’s calendar is synced with your workspace, so you can make references to specific pages in the meeting invite.
Notion Calendar is available for iPhone and Android devices, and soon it will be compatible with Outlook and iCloud.
Ultimately, Notion’s calendar helps you to centralize your calendar management, notes, and project management tasks in a centralized app.
Obsidian’s features
Let’s see Obsidian’s key features!
Obsidian Vault
The Obsidian Vault is a folder that contains your notes, attachments, and data. When creating a vault, you can choose end-to-end encryption that offers the strongest security. However, if you choose end-to-end encryption for your vault, safely store your encryption password, as you cannot enter your vault without it.
You can create more vaults and customize them with different themes. If you go to appearances, there are over 160 themes created by the community that you can install and use right away.
It is great that Obsidian offers these customization options so you can personalize your vaults.
Note-taking app
As mentioned before, Obsidian uses markdown language when writing your notes. To create paragraphs, just insert a blank line to separate your paragraphs. If you press Enter, it will create a new line in your note, and it will be treated as a continuation of the same paragraph in the rendered output.
Also, you can change the size of your fonts under the Appearance option in settings even if you use Obsidian on mobile devices.
You can create tags, which help you organize and find your notes more easily. Just enter a hash symbol (#), and you can choose from your tags.
When taking notes, Obsidian allows you to use attachments, such as images, audio files, or PDFs. You can access these files using your files system. Moreover, you can embed web pages as well. To embed a web page, you have to use the iframe.
Ultimately, you can create notes easily with Obsidian, and the way they work makes them ideal for creating your personal knowledge management center or second brain.
Bidirectional links
The internal links are one of the best features I discovered during my Obsidian review. Using this feature, you can link notes to each other and connect ideas through your vault.
To link notes, just type “[[” in Obsidian and then choose the file to which you want to create a link. Another way to add a link is to select the Command palette and then choose the option of “add an internal link.”
So, it is quite simple to connect your notes. And the real power of the internal links comes with the graph view.
Graph view
The graph view is perfect for visualizing the relations between your data. Using the graph view makes it easy to create your personal knowledge base, as you can see how your ideas are connected to each other.
You can easily zoom in and out using the scroll wheel on your mouse. What is especially valuable are the filter options. Obsidian’s graph view allows you to filter your notes based on search terms.
Overall, it shows your knowledge graph structure, and you can see how your notes are connected.
Canvas view
One of the features I recommend you to try is the canvas view. It offers an excellent tool for visual note-taking.
This function lets you choose from visual aspects, such as size and position, to make sense of your notes. With the canvas, you can connect notes with lines and group multiple notes together to better understand their relationship.
Plugins
With the plugins, you can customize your vault and access many advanced features. There are two types of plugins.
The Obsidian core plugins switch on and off features you do and do not like. For instance, you can switch off the graph view if you do not use it.
When it comes to the community plugins, you can choose from more than 2,000 plugins. The community plugins allow you to access more features like creating Excel-like tables or even a language translator.
To access the community plugins, open settings, select the turn on community plugins, and install the ones you like.
User interface
Now, let’s take a look at both Notion’s and Obsidian’s user interfaces!
Notion’s user interface
Notion’s user interface is simple. It has a minimalist aesthetics with white space, clear typography, and subtle colors are the focus. Even if you are a first-time Notion user, you will be able to quickly navigate the pages, as you will find every important information on the sidebar.
As you can see, Notion has many features. This is the only thing why users find Notion overwhelming at first. Even though I have used Notion for more than 2 years, I have not explored all its features and potential.
When working in Notion, you will quickly realize that it uses a block system that works like Lego. It transforms all the content into movable, customizable pieces, which gives you the flexibility to move these blocks around.
Thanks to the block system and extensive customization options, you have the flexibility to create databases, notes, and projects that 100% suit your needs.
Obsidian’s user interface
Let’s say that Obsidian’s user interface is not pretty. It is similar to Apple Notes’ user interface, but somehow, I feel like Obsidian’s UI is a little bit clunky. If you do not like its user interface, try the dark theme, as it seems better.
You can also choose different themes from the community plugins. Many users recommended the Minimal theme, so you can give it a try.
Integrations
It is time to check the integration options in the Notion vs Obsidian battle!
Notion’s integrations
Notion supports many third-party integrations. First of all, you can connect it with Zapier, which will give you access to more than 7000 apps.
Besides the Zapier integration, you can integrate Notion with more than 100 other apps, including Asana, ClickUp, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Jira.
Obsidian’s integrations
Using the plugins, you can integrate Obsidian with other third-party apps like Todoist, Trello, or Toggl Track. The number of integrations is quite limited, but at least some popular tools are among them.
You can see the full list of integrations here.
Pricing
Here, I will show you both productivity apps’ pricing models to see which one is better in the Notion vs Obsidian comparison.
Notion’s pricing
Notion offers four pricing plans.
The free plan includes a collaborative workspace, integrations, basic page analytics, and a 7-day page history, and you can invite 10 guests. Based on my experience, Notion’s free version is totally sufficient for individuals to organize their notes and projects.
The plus plan is €9.50 per seat per month. It has unlimited blocks for teams, unlimited file uploads, 30-day page history, custom websites, automation, charts, and dashboards, and you can invite a maximum of 100 guests. The plus plan is ideal for small teams and individuals who work a lot with others.
The business plan costs you €14 per seat monthly. It offers private teamspaces, bulk PDF export, advanced page analytics, 90-day page history, and you can invite 250 guests. I recommend the business plan for bigger teams who want to utilize more advanced features.
Finally, Notion has an enterprise plan as well with custom pricing. By choosing this plan, you will receive a dedicated success manager, workspace analytics features, unlimited page history, security, and compliance integrations, and you can invite 250 guests.
Obsidian’s pricing
One of the best things I found during my Obsidian review is the pricing. If you use Obsidian for personal use, it is 100% free.
The free version for personal use includes all the features, themes, plugins, APIs, and community support. The free version is quite generous, as there are no limitations on which features you can use.
However, if you want Obsidian for commercial use, you need to buy the commercial use license, which is $50 per year. Commercial purposes mean using Obsidian for revenue-generating or work-related activities within a for‑profit organization with two or more employees. However, before deciding to purchase Obsidian, you have 14 days of free trial.
To upgrade your Obsidian experience and security, you can buy add-ons. You need to purchase the add-on services separately for commercial and free users.
The Obsidian Sync add-on allows you to synchronize your notes across multiple devices and offers end-to-end encryption, version history options, and priority email support. It is $4 per user per month.
The Obsidian Publish add-on is $8 per month per site. With this add-on, you can publish notes to the web, and it offers graph view and priority email support.
Finally, you can access the beta versions of Obsidian and VIP badges for a one-time payment of over $25. With this, you can support Obsidian and get early access to the beta versions.
Notion’s pros and cons
Considering all the factors, let’s summarize Notion’s pros and cons!
Notion’s pros
First, Notion is an easy-to-use note-taking app. Using its sidebar, you can access all your notes with one click.
Secondly, Notion is an all-in-one app that you can use to manage your notes, calendars, projects, tasks, knowledge hubs, and soon your emails. Notion users can replace many other apps only by using Notion’s free version.
Moreover, Notion offers robust collaboration tools. You can share your workspaces, leave comments, work on projects in real-time, mention others, assign tasks and due dates, and so on.
Furthermore, Notion has extensive tutorials on its webpage. No matter whether you want to check the basic functions or create a wiki for your company, you will find everything on Notion’s webpage.
Finally, Notion’s free plan offers enough features for individuals. Basically, I have used Notion’s free plan for more than two years, and I can access all the important features. Also, you can utilize the templates for completely free.
Notion’s cons
The biggest cons I found during my Notion vs Obsidian review is that Notion has no offline mode. It would be great if I could reach my notes without an internet connection.
Also, you can not protect your pages with passwords. As many of our notes could include sensitive data, it would be awesome if we could protect them with passwords.
Obsidian’s pros and cons
Now, let’s check the pros and cons I explored during my Notion vs Obsidian review!
Obsidian’s pros
First, Obsidian is a safe note-taking app that allows you to store sensitive data thanks to its high-security standards. This is particularly true if you purchase the Obsidian sync add-on, so you can protect your data with end-to-end encryption.
Furthermore, Obsidian’s free version is excellent. It includes all the features you need to manage and organize your notes effectively.
In addition, there are regular updates, so I expect more features and plugins in the future.
Moreover, I enjoyed using the graph view and bidirectional links to visualize the relations between my notes.
Finally, utilizing markdown files is practical if you want to switch to other note-taking apps eventually.
Obsidian’s cons
When it comes to the cons of Obsidian, it is easy to see that it is quite a complex app with a huge learning curve. So, it will take time to learn how to use Obsidian.
Another problem for me is the lack of team collaboration features. Basically, you can use this note-taking app only for personal knowledge management. Therefore, I do not see it as a best fit note-taking app for teams.
Lastly, while it is safer to store your data locally, some people just want to use a web version. However, you can not make such a decision in the case of Obsidian, as you are forced to download it to your devices.
Alternatives to Notion and Obsidian
Here are some alternatives to Obsidian and Notion:
- Xtiles: An easy-to-use note-taking app with visual boards.
- Anytype: An excellent but more complex Notion alternative.
- Taskade: A simple but effective app for note-taking, task, work, and project management.
- Evernote: A popular note-taking app.
- NotebookLM: A note-taking and research app with a fantastic podcast feature.
Related articles:
- Xtiles Vs Notion: All Features Compared (2025)
- Notion Vs Taskade: Side-by-Side Comparison (2025)
- My Honest Notion Review After Using It For +2 Years (2025)
- Best 6 Notion Alternatives In 2025 | 100+ Personally Tested Tools
- Evernote Vs Notion: An Easier Decision That You Think (2025)
- Evernote vs Obsidian: A REAL Comparison With No Fluff (2025)
My pick: Notion vs Obsidian
Overall, Obsidian is a more powerful app than Notion for personal note-taking. While it is a complex app with a long learning curve, it offers many possibilities to organize your notes and brainstorm ideas. And most importantly, you can do it safely.
Nonetheless, if you are looking for an app for note-taking, project, task management, or team collaboration, Notion is a way better tool than Obsidian. Obsidian is simply not ideal for team collaboration or managing projects within a team.
Personally, I prefer Notion, as it is a more user-friendly interface, and its note-taking capabilities are sufficient for me.
I hope this comparison between Notion and Obsidian helped you find the best note-taking app. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Frequently asked questions
How is Obsidian better than Notion?
Obsidian has more powerful note-taking tools like knowledge graph or canvas view. On the other hand, Notion AI is more suitable for teams as it has many team collaboration features.
Should I switch from Notion to Obsidian?
It depends on why you want to change from Notion. If you feel like Notion’s note-taking tools are not enough for you, I think Obsidian can be a good alternative. It is a safe app with many note-taking tools.
Obsidian or Notion has more extensive collaboration features?
Obsidian has no collaboration features. So, if you are looking for a tool for your team, whether it is note-taking, document, task, or project management, Notion is a better alternative.
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.
Hey there! I am Aron, the founder of Thebusinessdive. I created Thebusinessdive to help you elevate your productivity to the next level. It is a place where you find the best tools, ideas, and tips to supercharge your productivity and performance. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to hear more about the best productivity tools. Let’s dive in!
