Obsidian vs Reflect

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

Reflect

• Mac users who want free, open-source notes kept as plain Markdown files
• People who work from a daily note and link ideas together
• Users who prefer to bring their own AI provider and API key

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.

Reflect

• Only the Mac app is free; the iPhone and iPad app requires a paid subscription.
• There is no web app, and the vendor says Windows and Android versions are not available and have no release dates.
• AI features need your own API key, and the AI provider bills that usage separately.
• Reflect Open adds no end-to-end encryption of its own; sync and encryption rely on iCloud Drive or Git.

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.

Reflect

Local Markdown notes

Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose. There is no account, no telemetry and no Reflect-hosted cloud service.

Daily notes and calendar

The app starts on today's note. Apple Calendar events appear beside the daily note and can be turned into meeting notes.

Wiki links and backlinks

Double-bracket links connect notes into a graph, backlinks are tracked for each note, and one search covers notes, backlinks and tags.

Optional AI with your own key

Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter key to ask questions about your notes, pull out takeaways and fix grammar. Requests go directly to the provider.

Voice notes and transcription

Record audio inside the app and transcribe it through the transcription provider you connect.

Capture and sync

The Reflect Capture Chrome extension saves links, selected text and screenshots. Notes sync between devices through iCloud Drive or Git.

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.

Reflect

• Mac app$0

  Free and open source under the MIT license. No subscription and no account.

• Reflect Pro (iPhone and iPad)$9.99

  per month, or $99 per year (US App Store)

  Subscription for the iPhone and iPad app, bought in the App Store, where prices are set per country.

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.

Reflect

• Annual discount

  About 17% lower price with the yearly subscription

  On the US App Store, Reflect Pro is $99 per year versus $9.99 per month, which works out to about 17% less over a year.

• Other savings

  One year of the mobile app free for Classic subscribers

  Reflect's site says paid Reflect Classic subscribers get one year of the iPhone and iPad app free.