Notion
Free / from ~$10 per user/mo
Obsidian
Free (personal) / Sync ~$4 per mo
Notion is a flexible cloud workspace with databases and easy collaboration. Obsidian is a local-first, plain-text knowledge base you own outright, with deep linking and plugins. Notion wins on collaboration and structure; Obsidian wins on privacy, offline use, and ownership.
Pick Notion if you want a flexible cloud workspace with databases and easy collaboration, especially for a team or shared wiki.
Pick Obsidian if you want a private, local-first notes vault you fully own, with deep linking, plugins, and offline reliability.
Notion and Obsidian are both beloved note tools, but they sit on opposite sides of a philosophical line. Notion is a cloud workspace: your notes, databases, and wikis live on Notion's servers, sync everywhere, and are easy to share and edit with others in real time. Obsidian stores plain-text Markdown files on your own device, so your notes are private, work offline, and remain readable even if the app disappears, with a huge plugin ecosystem for power users.
Pricing reflects the difference. Notion is free for personal use and around $10 per user a month for team features. Obsidian is free for personal use, with paid add-ons like Sync (around $4 a month) and a commercial license for work use.
We compare structure and databases, collaboration, privacy and offline use, customization, and price.
| Quick facts | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Notion cloud | Your device (local files) |
| Personal price | Free | Free |
| Paid features | Team from ~$10/user/mo | Sync ~$4/mo |
| Works offline | Limited | Fully |
| Best for | Teams + databases | Privacy + ownership |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | N Notion | O Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Databases / structured pages | Yes | Via plugins |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Limited |
| Local-first / offline | Limited | Yes |
| Plain-text ownership | No | Yes |
| Plugin ecosystem | Modest | Huge |
| Linked notes / graph view | Basic | Best-in-class |
| Generous free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy (data on your device) | No | Yes |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-21.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Notion is better for collaboration and databases but stores your notes in the cloud and is weaker offline.
Obsidian gives you privacy, offline access, and ownership, but has a steeper learning curve and weaker real-time collaboration.
Notion can feel slow with very large workspaces; Obsidian stays fast because it works on local files.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add Notion, Obsidian, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.
See how the price has moved