Evernote vs Obsidian

Evernote

• People who save web pages, scans and documents and need to search across them
• Keeping notes, tasks and calendar events in a single app
• Teams that want shared notes with central administration and single sign-on

Obsidian

• People who want their notes as plain Markdown files they control
• Building a linked personal knowledge base that works offline
• Users who like to customize an app with plugins and themes

Evernote

• The Free plan is limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook and sync on a single device.
• Starter is capped at 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 5 GB of storage and 3 synced devices.
• There is no Linux app; the desktop apps are for Mac and Windows only.
• In-note encryption is offered only in the Mac and Windows apps, and AI Cleanup only on mobile.

Obsidian

• There is no web app; Obsidian runs as desktop and mobile apps only.
• Obsidian Sync is a paid add-on, from $4 per user / month billed annually.
• Sync Standard covers 1 vault with 1 GB of storage and a 5 MB file size limit; larger limits need Sync Plus.
• Publishing notes to the web is billed separately from Sync, at $8 per site / month on annual billing.

Evernote

Web Clipper and document scanning

A browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari saves web pages into notes, and paper documents can be scanned in alongside them.

Advanced and semantic search

Search supports Boolean, geographic and filtered queries, and semantic search surfaces related notes based on their content.

Tasks and calendar

Tasks take due dates, reminders and assignees. Google and Microsoft calendars can be connected: 1 on the Free plan and 5 on paid plans.

AI Assistant

A chat assistant searches, organizes and enriches notes, with monthly and per-chat usage limits. AI Edit writes, summarizes, tidies and translates notes.

AI Transcribe

Records meetings and conversations, then produces a transcript and summary inside a note.

Collaboration and MCP

Shared notes support real-time editing, comments and task assignment. An MCP connector lets Claude, ChatGPT and other compatible AI tools use your notes.

Obsidian

Local Markdown files

Notes are saved on your device as plain-text Markdown files, so they stay readable in other editors and available offline.

Links and graph view

Notes link to one another, and a graph view draws the relationships between them so related ideas are easier to find.

Canvas

An infinite board for laying out notes, diagrams and research side by side while brainstorming.

Plugins and themes

Thousands of community plugins and themes, built on an open API, change how the app looks and behaves.

Sync (paid add-on)

End-to-end encrypted sync across devices with version history and shared vaults that update in real time for a team.

Publish and Web Clipper

Publish turns notes into a hosted site, priced per site. The Web Clipper extension saves web pages from Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.

Evernote

• Free$0

  50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 GB of storage and sync on 1 device.

• Starter$99

  per year ($14.99 if billed monthly)

  1,000 notes, 20 notebooks, 10 spaces, 5 GB of storage, 5 external calendars and sync across 3 devices.

• Advanced$249.99

  per year ($24.99 if billed monthly)

  Unlimited notes, notebooks, spaces, storage and synced devices, subject to safeguard limits against abuse.

• Enterprise (Flexible, Unlimited)Custom

  Team plans with centralized account administration, user activity logs and single sign-on. Pricing is by quote.

Obsidian

• Obsidian app$0

  The full app with local Markdown notes, links, graph, canvas, plugins and themes. No account needed.

• Sync Standard$4

  per user / month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly)

  Encrypted sync for 1 vault with 1 GB of storage, a 5 MB maximum file size and 1 month of version history.

• Sync Plus$8

  per user / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)

  Sync for 10 vaults with 10 GB of storage (upgradable to 100 GB), 200 MB maximum file size and 12 months of version history.

• Publish$8

  per site / month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)

  Publishes selected notes as a website with a custom domain, password protection, graph view and full-text search.

• Catalyst$25

  one-time payment

  Optional supporter license with early access to beta versions, community badges and exclusive channels.

• Commercial$50

  per user / year

  Optional license for organizations that want to support development. It is not required to use Obsidian at work.

Evernote

• Education

  40% off Evernote Advanced for students

  Eligible college students who are not already paying subscribers get 40% off a one-year Evernote Advanced subscription, with student status verified through UNiDAYS.

Obsidian

• Annual discount

  20% lower price with annual billing

  Sync is $4 per user / month billed annually versus $5 billed monthly, and Publish is $8 per site versus $10: a 20% saving on each.

• Education

  40% off Sync and Publish for students and faculty

  Students and faculty members of schools and universities can apply for 40% off Obsidian Sync and Publish from their account dashboard, using a school email.

• Nonprofit

  40% off Sync and Publish for nonprofits

  People who run or work at a nonprofit organization can apply for 40% off Obsidian Sync and Publish, using their organization email.