Introduction
Obsidian is a note-taking and knowledge management application that stores your notes locally as plain text Markdown files. It offers linking, graph visualization, and extensive customization through plugins and themes. Available for Windows and other platforms, Obsidian provides both free and paid options, including sync and publish services.
What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a free and flexible app for private thoughts. It stores notes privately on your device, allowing quick access even offline. Notes are saved as plain text Markdown files, ensuring you own your data and are not locked into a proprietary format. Obsidian supports linking between notes, tags, and a graph view to visualize relationships. It has a plugin ecosystem with thousands of community plugins and themes, and an open API for building custom plugins. Obsidian also offers Sync for secure access across devices, Publish for turning notes into an online wiki, and Canvas for spatial organization.
What makes Obsidian stand out?
- Local-first and private: Notes are stored on your device, not on a server, so no one else can read them.
- Open file formats: Uses plain text Markdown files, preventing lock-in and ensuring long-term access.
- Extensible: Thousands of plugins and themes allow tailoring to personal workflows.
- Linking and graph view: Create connections between notes and visualize them in an interactive graph.
- Canvas: An infinite space for research, brainstorming, and diagramming.
- Sync with end-to-end encryption: Access notes on any device securely.
- Publish: Turn notes into an online wiki, knowledge base, or digital garden.
Who is it for?
- Individuals who want a private, local note-taking solution.
- Knowledge workers, researchers, and students building personal knowledge bases.
- Writers and journalers organizing thoughts and ideas.
- Teams needing secure collaboration on shared files.
- Users who value customization and extensibility.
What can you do with Obsidian?
- Create linked notes to build a personal wiki.
- Visualize note relationships with the graph view.
- Use Canvas for brainstorming and diagramming.
- Organize notes with tags and folders.
- Track tasks and projects with community plugins like Tasks and Kanban.
- Sync notes across devices with end-to-end encryption.
- Publish notes as a website or knowledge base.
- Clip web content with the Web Clipper.
How does Obsidian work?
Obsidian stores your notes as plain text Markdown files in a local folder called a vault. You can create links between notes using [[wiki-style links]], and tags for organization. The graph view displays notes as nodes and links as edges, helping you see connections. Plugins extend functionality; community plugins are available, and you can build your own using the open API. Obsidian Sync provides end-to-end encrypted synchronization across devices, with version history and selective sync. Obsidian Publish turns selected notes into a website with customization options.
Pricing
Obsidian is free to download and use without limits. Paid services include Obsidian Sync and Obsidian Publish, which offer additional features like cross-device sync and online publishing. Enterprise options are also available. For detailed pricing, visit the Obsidian website.
Alternatives
Alternatives to Obsidian include other note-taking and knowledge management tools such as Notion, Roam Research, Logseq, and Evernote. Each has different features and pricing models.
FAQ
Is Obsidian free?
Yes, Obsidian is free to download and use. Paid services like Sync and Publish are optional.
Where are my notes stored?
Notes are stored locally on your device as plain text Markdown files.
Can I sync my notes across devices?
Yes, Obsidian Sync provides end-to-end encrypted synchronization across devices.
