Obsidian

A versatile writing app tailored to your thinking

4.9•164 reviews•

4.1K followers

A versatile writing app tailored to your thinking

4.9•164 reviews•

4.1K followers

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Note and writing apps

Store notes on your device, so you can access them quickly, even offline. Use hundreds of plugins and themes, to fit your way of thinking.

Obsidian Reviews

The community submitted 164 reviews to tell us what they like about Obsidian, what Obsidian can do better, and more.

4.9

Based on 164 reviews

Review Obsidian?

Reviewers see Obsidian as a fast, flexible, local-first notes tool that works especially well for personal knowledge management, writing, research, and study. They repeatedly praise markdown, bidirectional links, graph view, strong search, cross-device use, and a deep plugin ecosystem that lets people shape it around their workflow. Several say it replaced Notion, Evernote, or Apple Notes because it feels lighter, more private, and less locked in. The main caveat is complexity: many mention a steep learning curve, plugin clutter, weak collaboration, and occasional friction with search, sync, or markdown limits.

+161

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Pros

community plugins (42)

local storage (30)

customization (29)

markdown support (22)

second brain (21)

graph view (16)

privacy (14)

cross-platform (12)

fast performance (11)

free tier (5)

Cons

learning curve (10)

sync feature cost (3)

closed source (2)

customization (2)

markdown support (2)

Pros

Cons

Tines Build agents & automations integrated across your workspace

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Reviews

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Most Informative

•2 reviews

What's great

free tier (5)note-taking (2)cross-platform (12)open source (3)privacy (14)markdown support (22)cross-device syncing (1)strong community (2)community plugins (42)customization (29)graph view (16)local storage (30)second brain (21)

After I started using Obsidian, my whole way of thinking and working changed.

It is not just a notes app for me anymore. It became the place where I plan, write, connect ideas, structure projects, and keep my brain from scattering across ten different tools.

Then I started taking my Obsidian projects into the IDE, and that moved everything to another level.

In this agentic era, notes are not just notes. They become context. They become instructions. They become project memory. A well-structured vault can guide an AI agent much better than random prompts ever could.

Obsidian gave me the thinking layer. The IDE gave me the execution layer. Together, they turned my ideas into a working system.

The graph view and visual thinking side of Obsidian also had a real effect on me. Seeing ideas connected in space changed the way I organize thoughts. It made planning feel less like filling boxes and more like building a living map of what I am working on.

Since I started using Obsidian, my productivity has gone up massively. I think more clearly, return to old ideas faster, and build long-term projects without losing context.

It has a learning curve, but that is also part of why it is powerful. Obsidian does not force a workflow on you. It gives you the raw material to build your own operating system for thinking.

For anyone who writes, builds, researches, codes, plans, or works with AI agents, Obsidian is one of the rare tools that actually becomes more valuable the longer you use it.

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

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5 views5d ago

•1 review

What's great

Can you think in a structured and clear way? Then this app can become your second brain.
And if you have a noisy mind or struggle with ADHD, OCD, or scattered thoughts, this tool can genuinely help you stay organized.

In Obsidian, notes behave like neurons in the brain, and the links you create between them act like synapses connecting those neurons.

Each note can exist as an independent unit an idea, an article, a memory, or even a quote.
When you link notes together, you’re essentially forming neural connections between ideas.

Over time, this builds an interconnected network of thoughts that functions like a living neural system.
And with Graph View, you can actually visualize this structure a map of your own mind.

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

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9 views2d ago

•4 reviews

What's great

open source (3)markdown support (22)community plugins (42)customization (29)local storage (30)second brain (21)

Lightweight
Supports markdown, which is faster than using cursor-based text changes
Supports a variety of command-based interactions, which is preferable
It's free
Community plug-ins
Wide customizability

What needs improvement

sync feature cost (3)

File structure isn't always the easiest way to interact with vault
UI can get cluttered when you use a lot of community plug-ins

vs Alternatives

Notion

Anytype

Markdown language acceptance, preference for keyboard control of applications, command-centred UI, scale for customisation and community plug-ins

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

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210 views6mo ago

•1 review

What's great

simplicity (3)local storage (30)second brain (21)

Really interesting how you can connect all of the sub-files and keywords within different documents. I started using it to study different books, but now I'm just applying other features to other areas of my life

Ratings

Ease of use

Reliability

Value for money

Customization

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20 views11d ago

•1 review

Infinitely customizable - if you want to make it an incredibly stripped down snippet collector, Zettelkasten, or series of shower thoughts with nothing but Markdown, you can. If you want to install 60 community plugins and move on to the ones that aren't in the Community store yet, customize it with CSS, and have a widget-y dashboard with buttons and dropdown menus, you can do that too. (I'm somewhere in between.) But more to the point, it's a heck of a lot better than spreading all my notes to myself between 30232340 notepad .txt files in different folders, Notion, Docs and Notes on my phone. Has it fixed the ADHD and the tendency to pick up every new productivity software? Nope, but that's my own issue. Has it greatly helped with consolidating and getting me into a routine? It sure has -- and it also has the really cool bonus of encouraging wikilinks within notes, which scratches a hypertext itch I forgot I had. (Also, there's a really robust TTRPG community within the Obsidian forums/Discord and a whooole subsection of user-made tips for GMs and players, so that's a nice little bonus for those of you into that hobby.)

What's great

note-taking (2)community support (1)markdown support (22)strong community (2)community plugins (42)customization (29)

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158 views8mo ago

Fuser

•7 reviews

I’ve been using Obsidian daily for over a year now. There’s no onboarding funnel, no update pop-ups, no pressure to upgrade. It just works, and it keeps working. You let some tools into your life without thinking too hard about it. Obsidian was like that, although I did spend probably an entire week customizing it, iterating upon a template until I figured out how to structure my daily notes versus larger long-term projects. I mean, I was not really just getting into a note-taking app, I was actually looking for a new way to structure my thoughts and create meaningful habits around journaling. I really like that Obsidian doesn't get in the way once you customize it how you like. It's usually the first thing I open in the morning, so I can plan the whole day ahead of me, journal my thoughts, and take notes for my meetings without it being overly complicated.

What's great

simplicity (3)customization (29)

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103 views10mo ago

•3 reviews

Obsidian is a powerful knowledge management and note-taking application that stands out due to its unique approach to organizing information. Obsidian uses Markdown for formatting, allowing users to create rich text documents easily. The app enables users to create links between notes, fostering a network of interconnected ideas. Users can visualize their notes and connections through an interactive graph view, which helps in understanding relationships between concepts. Obsidian stores notes locally on your device, providing users with full control over their data. The app supports various plugins and themes, allowing users to tailor the interface and functionality to their needs. Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with mobile versions for iOS and Android, ensuring accessibility across devices. Pros • Flexibility: Users can structure their notes in a way that suits their workflow, whether for personal use, research, or project management.  • Community Support: A vibrant community contributes plugins and themes, enhancing the app's capabilities.  • Privacy: With local storage, users can keep their notes private and secure, unlike cloud-based solutions. Cons • Learning Curve: New users may find the interface and features overwhelming at first, especially if they are not familiar with Markdown.  • Limited Collaboration: While great for individual use, it lacks real-time collaboration features found in some other note-taking apps.

What's great

cross-platform (12)privacy (14)markdown support (22)community plugins (42)customization (29)graph view (16)local storage (30)

What needs improvement

limited collaboration (1)learning curve (10)

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28 views1yr ago

•3 reviews

Obsidian is hands down the most capable note-taking tool available today. Its local-first approach ensures privacy and full ownership of your data, while its Markdown foundation keeps things fast, portable, and future-proof. What truly sets Obsidian apart is its extensibility. With a rich plugin ecosystem and support for custom scripts, it transforms into whatever workflow you need—be it task management, knowledge organization, or research tracking. The graph view offers a clear, visual representation of your ideas and how they connect, making it ideal for deep thinkers and professionals alike. Simply put, Obsidian isn't just a note app—it's an environment for serious knowledge work.

What's great

privacy (14)markdown support (22)community plugins (42)graph view (16)local storage (30)

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24 views1yr ago

•1 review

I’ve been using Obsidian for more than two years, and it really helps me keep track of my notes and build my own knowledge base. I like how flexible it is; the big community of plugins is a huge plus. I also enjoy that I can write my own plugins if needed. Still, I sometimes find it hard to search and find the right note. Also, I don’t really like that I have to use plugins like "MAKE" just to organize my pages. Overall, it’s a powerful and flexible app that I strongly recommend if you want to manage your ideas and knowledge smartly.

What's great

community plugins (42)customization (29)second brain (21)

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21 views1yr ago

•7 reviews

The king of PKMs. Where all my writing, clippings from all the resources, thoughts, planning, projects, daily journals live. Has all the aspects of a sustainable and enjoyable software model IMHO: - majority of features free for life - a sustainable business model beyond that - a vital and passionate plugin developer and enthusiast community - your data locally stored in plain text with no compromise in all the fancy features that competitors offer but instead lock your data in a database or cloud storage.

What's great

free tier (5)community plugins (42)local storage (30)

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18 views1yr ago

1 2 3

•••

After I started using Obsidian, my whole way of thinking and working changed.

It is not just a notes app for me anymore. It became the place where I plan, write, connect ideas, structure projects, and keep my brain from scattering across ten different tools.

Then I started taking my Obsidian projects into the IDE, and that moved everything to another level.

Obsidian gave me the thinking layer. The IDE gave me the execution layer. Together, they turned my ideas into a working system.

Since I started using Obsidian, my productivity has gone up massively. I think more clearly, return to old ideas faster, and build long-term projects without losing context.

It has a learning curve, but that is also part of why it is powerful. Obsidian does not force a workflow on you. It gives you the raw material to build your own operating system for thinking.

For anyone who writes, builds, researches, codes, plans, or works with AI agents, Obsidian is one of the rare tools that actually becomes more valuable the longer you use it.