Notesnook vs Obsidian

Notesnook

• People who want notes the provider cannot read
• Unlimited notes across many devices on a free plan
• Users who want open source clients and sync server
• Students and educators, who can get Pro for $19.99 a year

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

Notesnook

• The free plan allows 50 MB of attachment uploads a month and 10 MB per file, and caps notebooks and tags at 50 each.
• Paid tiers mainly raise storage and limits: Essential gives 1 GB a month, Pro 10 GB and Believer 25 GB.
• Prices on notesnook.com are localized by country and shown with tax; the dollar prices here come from the US App Store listing.
• The 5-year plan is prepaid and does not include the 14-day trial.

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.

Notesnook

End-to-end encryption

Everything is encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 before it syncs, so the servers hold only data they cannot read.

Rich editor

The editor handles tables, task lists, outlines, code blocks, maths formulas, images and file attachments, with Markdown support.

Vault and app lock

The app can require a fingerprint, PIN or password to open, and a vault puts selected notes behind a second password.

Linked notes

Notes link to one another, and each note lists both the notes it points to and the notes that reference it.

Web clipper and published notes

An open source clipper for Chrome and Firefox saves pages or selections into notes. A single note can be published as a web page, optionally behind a password.

Reminders and Inbox API

Reminders can be set on any note and fire from the device. An inbox API lets Zapier, IFTTT or your own script add notes, encrypted with your key.

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.

Notesnook

• Free$0

  Unlimited notes and devices, 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB file size, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 100 versions per note.

• Essential$1.99

  per month, or $19.99 per year (US App Store prices)

  1 GB of storage a month, 100 MB file size, 500 notebooks and tags, 50 active reminders and 1,000 versions per note.

• Pro$6.99

  per month, or $69.99 per year (US App Store prices)

  10 GB of storage a month, 1 GB file size and unlimited notebooks, tags, colors and reminders. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.

• Believer$8.99

  per month, or $89.99 per year (US App Store prices)

  25 GB of storage a month and 5 GB file size, with every limit removed. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.

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.

Notesnook

• Annual discount

  Two months free with yearly billing

  The pricing page labels yearly billing as 2 months free. On the US App Store, Essential is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro is $69.99 against $6.99.

• Education

  Pro for $19.99 a year for students and educators

  Students and educators can apply with an EDU email address or an official document to get Notesnook Pro for 19.99 USD per year. It lasts one year and can be reclaimed.

• Other savings

  Prepaid 5-year plans for Pro and Believer

  Pro and Believer can be paid for five years at a time, at a lower monthly rate than the standard yearly price shown on the pricing page.

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.