Obsidian vs Supernotes

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

Supernotes

• People who prefer short, atomic notes to long documents
• Students building linked revision notes, with a student discount
• Small groups sharing and editing notes together

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.

Supernotes

• The free Starter plan begins with 100 cards; once the limit is reached, no new cards can be created without earning more or upgrading.
• Website prices are charged in British pounds. The US App Store lists Unlimited at $11.00 a month or $99.00 a year.
• Notes are encrypted in transit and at rest but are not end-to-end encrypted.
• Each card has a soft limit of 1,200 characters, so long documents are split across cards.

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.

Supernotes

Notecards

Notes are short cards with a soft limit of 1,200 characters that can hold text, math equations, tables, images, code and checklists.

Hierarchy, links and graph

Cards can be arranged in a hierarchy and linked to one another, then explored in a 2D or 3D graph view or found with filters, search and sorting.

Real-time sharing

Share a card with other people, who can read it without a Supernotes account, or edit and comment in real time if they have one.

Apps on every platform

Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps with sync included on the free plan, and notes can be created and edited offline.

AI tools

On the Unlimited plan, AI proofreads cards for typos and helps organize them.

API and integrations

A public API plus official integrations with Telegram, Raycast and Pipedream, and capture by sending an email to a secret address.

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.

Supernotes

• Starter£0

  Start with 100 cards and earn more by completing achievements. Includes mobile, desktop and web apps, sync, offline editing and sharing.

• Unlimited£6

  per month, billed annually (£72)

  Unlimited cards, AI proofreading and organization, full API access with higher limits, flashcards, tables and maps, and priority support.

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.

Supernotes

• Annual discount

  25% off with yearly billing

  Yearly billing is £72 a year, shown as £6 a month and 25% off the monthly price.

• Other savings

  50% off with a 4-year license

  The pricing page offers a 4-Year option at 50% off the monthly price.

• Education

  Student plans at 50% to 63% off

  Students get 50% off with the Student Yearly plan or 63% off with the Student 4-Year plan, against the standard monthly price. It applies automatically to .edu and .ac.uk emails.