Overview

Obsidian — The private and flexible note-taking app that adapts to your thinking

Obsidian is a privacy-first, local-first note-taking app that stores files as plain Markdown. Its graph view visualizes connections between notes, enabling true second-brain thinking. With 1000+ community plugins and powerful linking, it's the top choice for knowledge management and personal knowledge bases.

Local file storage

Graph view

1000+ plugins

Bidirectional links

Features & capabilities

Everything it does, in plain English.

FeatureLocal file storageIncluded

FeatureGraph viewIncluded

Feature1000+ pluginsIncluded

FeatureBidirectional linksIncluded

FeaturePublish to webIncluded

PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android

The honest take

Where it shines, where it stumbles.

✓ Pros

✓Privacy-first (local files)
✓Highly extensible
✓Works offline
✓Data portability

! Watch-outs

!Steep learning curve
!Mobile sync requires subscription
!UI less polished

Who it's for

Where Obsidian pays for itself fast.

— Use case

Personal knowledge management

— Use case

Research notes

— Use case

Zettelkasten method

— Use case

Writing projects

Community reviews

Share your take on Obsidian

4.1

★★★★★

18 reviews

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

Patrick K. ✓ Verified

ML Engineer · Stripe

★★★★★

1 months ago

Good value, works well

Does what it promises and does it well. The onboarding flow was smooth and I was productive from day one. It integrates well with VS Code / Slack / Notion — my daily drivers. It integrates well with VS Code / Slack / Notion — my daily drivers. The UI takes some getting used to. Will continue using this long-term.

Victoria S. ✓ Verified

PhD Candidate · a healthcare startup

★★★★★

4 months ago

Good value, works well

Recommended for anyone in my field. The ROI was clear within the first week of using it. My team is very happy with the results.

Patrick W.

Director of Product · Microsoft

★★★★★

5 months ago

The best product I've used

Can't imagine working without it now. I've recommended this to at least 10 colleagues already.

Victoria P.

DevOps Engineer

★★★★★

5 months ago

Exactly what I needed

Game changer for my workflow. The collaboration features are genuinely well thought-out.

Jason W. ✓ Verified

ML Engineer · Meta

★★★★★

7 months ago

Useful and reliable

Works really well for my use case. The collaboration features are genuinely well thought-out. Integration with my existing tools was seamless — no friction at all. A few missing integrations I'd like to see added.

Chelsea L. ✓ Verified

Staff Engineer · a fintech company

★★★★★

1 years ago

Mixed experience overall

Mixed feelings, but ultimately positive. The ROI was clear within the first week of using it. The outputs require minimal editing — saves so much back-and-forth.

Wei S. ✓ Verified

Entrepreneur · Uber

★★★★★

1 years ago

Has potential, needs polish

Decent tool, not without issues. I've tried 5 similar tools and this one is clearly the best in class. The mobile experience could use some work.

Carlos R. ✓ Verified

Backend Engineer · GitHub

★★★★★

1 years ago

Best in class, no question

Best-in-class, period. Integration with my existing tools was seamless — no friction at all. Looking forward to seeing how it improves.

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