Noteshub vs Obsidian (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Obsidian: it is second in our ranking of note-taking apps, and it grades higher too, 3.6 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Obsidian grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Noteshub
Markdown notes, kanban boards and whiteboards synced through Git
Obsidian
Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device
Which one is for you
Pick Noteshub if
- Fits if you want Markdown notes in a Git repo you own
- Works for people who move between Apple, Android and Windows devices
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free try: no free plan or trial is shown
- Watch out: only the $4.99 Apple price was read, so Android and Windows prices are unconfirmed
- Watch out: the vendor's comparison table ties some features to certain platforms
- Tight if you dislike Git: sync means setting up a remote or iCloud Drive
Pick Obsidian if
- Fits if you want your notes as plain Markdown files in a folder you control
- Works for people who are offline a lot, since everything lives on the device
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a notes app that works on day one, as you start with an empty folder
- Not for you if you need your notes in a browser, since there's no web app at all
- Tight if you want phone and laptop in sync for free: Sync is $4 a month, or you set up iCloud or Dropbox
- Not for you if you mostly write on an iPhone or iPad, where reviewers report slow opening and crashes
- Watch out: Sync at $4 is 1 vault, 1 GB and 5 MB files, Sync Plus is $8, and a published site is $8 more
How we grade them
| 2.2GPANoteshubFair | 3.6GPAObsidianExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$4.99 once on the Apple App Store, with no subscription. Android, Windows and web prices weren't read. | AThe app is free in full, in a category whose middle plan is $6 a month. Sync is $4 a month on yearly billing ($5 monthly), which is mid-pack here, and Publish is $8 a site on top. Past 1 vault or 1 GB you need Sync Plus at $8. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free: the listing shows a one-time purchase and no trial. | AThe whole app is free, with no account, no cap on notes, vaults or devices, and no license needed for work. Money buys sync and publishing only. You can sync yourself with iCloud or Dropbox, though reviewers report stuck files that way. |
| Features | CMarkdown notes, kanban boards, whiteboards, offline use and Git sync. The listing's gap: some features, such as large Git notebooks and sync frequency, depend on the platform. | ALinked notes with a graph view, an infinite canvas, local Markdown files and a web clipper, plus thousands of community plugins and themes on an open API, more than Logseq or Anytype list. Sync and publishing cost extra, and there's no web app. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Setting up a Git remote or GitHub notebook is part of the work. | B4.5 from about 2,700 App Store ratings, which is the B band. That score is for the phone app, the weaker side of it. And you do start with an empty folder: even people who give it five stars say it took a while to get comfortable. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, syncing through Git, GitHub and iCloud Drive. No API or wider integration list. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus a web clipper for four browsers. No web app at all, which is what keeps it off an A, and the listing shows no integrations beyond the clipper and Git-style file sync. |
| Best for | Markdown notes synced through Git or iCloud | notes you own as plain files |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Noteshub and Obsidian. How we grade
Where they differ
- Noteshub can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Obsidian is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Noteshub also covers kanban boards.
- Obsidian also covers linked notes.
At a glance
| Noteshub | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time (iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision, App Store) | $4 per user / month, billed annually (Sync Standard add-on) |
| Free plan | None | The app is free without limits on desktop and mobile, with no sign-up, and a commercial license is not required for work use. Sync and Publish are optional paid add-ons. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | TALEX | Dynalist Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | obsidian.md |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Noteshub
- Only the $4.99 Apple App Store price was read; Android, Windows and web pricing is not stated on the pages read.
- Several features, such as large Git notebooks and more frequent sync, are tied to platforms in the vendor's comparison table.
- iCloud Drive and file-system notebooks are marked with an asterisk as platform-dependent on the features list.
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.
Key features
Noteshub
- Git, GitHub and iCloud notebooks
- Notes are plain text files stored in a Git repository (including self-hosted ones), on GitHub, or in iCloud Drive.
- Periodic sync
- Git and iCloud notebooks sync at startup, every minute after that, and on each change, with automatic merge-conflict resolution.
- Markdown extensions
- Mermaid diagrams, LaTeX math, callouts, ABC music notation, embeds and syntax-highlighted code blocks.
- Kanban boards and whiteboards
- Boards for tasks and an infinite whiteboard canvas, the latter based on Excalidraw per the App Store listing.
- Offline-first
- Notes can be edited offline and sync when the connection returns.
- Agent skill
- A free agent skill lets AI agents such as Claude or Codex edit 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.
Plans
Noteshub
Apple App Store$4.99
one-time, per App Store listing for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision
One purchase, no subscription; the About page says it is built around a one-time purchase plan. Prices on Google Play and the Microsoft Store were not read.
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.
Ways to pay less
Noteshub
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Noteshub or Obsidian?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Noteshub starts at $4.99 one-time (iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision, App Store), and Obsidian starts at $4 per user / month, billed annually (Sync Standard add-on).
Which has a free plan, Noteshub or Obsidian?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Obsidian has a free plan. Noteshub does not.
Which platforms do Noteshub and Obsidian run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Noteshub lists a web app and only Obsidian lists a Linux app and a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.