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Note-taking apps · head to head

Notion vs Obsidian

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published October 20, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026

Obsidian wins for anyone whose priority is owning the notes: they are Markdown files in a folder you pick, and the app costs nothing. Notion wins for teams, because its pages, databases, comments and guest access live on a hosted service that Obsidian does not try to replicate. Solo writers and researchers end up in Obsidian; groups that share a working space end up in Notion.

Side by side

NotionObsidian
What it isHosted workspace for notes, wikis and databasesLocal Markdown notes with links, plugins and optional sync
Best forTeams wanting one shared workspaceWriters who want durable local files
HeadquartersUnited StatesCanada
Pricing modelPer member / monthFree app + paid add-ons
PricingFree plan; Plus 9.50 euros and Business 19.50 euros per member per month in the euro view; AI agents free to try, then $10 per 1,000 Notion credits.Free to use; Sync is $4 per user per month billed annually ($5 monthly), Publish $8 per site per month annually, optional Commercial license $50 per user per year.
Free optionFree planFree plan
List price
as listed on October 20, 2026		Plus 9.50 euros and Business 19.50 euros per member per month in the euro view of Notion's pricing page; the Free plan costs nothingFree app; Sync Standard $4 per user per month billed annually ($5 monthly); optional Commercial license $50 per user per year
Place in our note-taking apps ranking#4 of 12#1 of 12
Websitenotion.comobsidian.md

Both are reviewed in full in Best Note-Taking Apps in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Notion if

several people need to edit the same pages and databases, with permissions and comments, and you accept that the content lives on Notion's servers.

Notion, #4 in the ranking · Visit Notion →

Choose Obsidian if

you want your notes as plain Markdown files on your own devices, a free app, and a plugin library rather than a hosted workspace.

Obsidian, #1 in the ranking · Visit Obsidian →

Where they differ

Who holds the files

Obsidian says your data is stored locally on your device, which makes it inaccessible to the company, and that its apps collect no telemetry. A vault is a folder of Markdown files, so a backup is a copy command. Notion keeps pages in its own hosted workspace; you can export, but the export is a snapshot. For ownership and a long archive, Obsidian is the clear choice.

Edge: Obsidian

Databases and team workspace

Notion's pricing page lists databases with subtasks, dependencies and custom properties on the Free plan already, and Business adds granular database permissions, private teamspaces and SAML SSO. Obsidian offers shared vaults through its Sync service, which sync files between members, but it has no comment threads or row-level access. A team that wants one shared tracker and wiki belongs in Notion.

Edge: Notion

Leaving, and what survives

Notion's help page says non-database pages export as Markdown and databases as CSV with Markdown files for subpages, plus PDF and HTML, and callout blocks come out as HTML. Relations and views do not survive as a working system. Obsidian has nothing to export, since the files are already the product, and its Importer plugin converts Notion, Evernote and Apple Notes data into Markdown.

Edge: Obsidian

Built-in AI versus plugins

Notion puts its agent on the Business plan, with AI meeting notes and enterprise search, and custom agents are free to try and then cost $10 per 1,000 credits. Obsidian's AI sits in community plugins; its plugin directory lists 1,093 in the AI category. Those can be capable, but you bring your own model and setup. For a buyer who wants AI working on day one, Notion is simpler.

Edge: Notion

Paying for sync and sharing

Obsidian is free without limits, and Sync costs $4 per user per month billed annually for one vault and 1 GB, or $8 for Sync Plus with ten vaults and 10 GB. Notion lists Free, Plus at 9.50 euros and Business at 19.50 euros per member per month in its euro view. The two bills buy different things, a sync service against a whole workspace, so a straight price winner would mislead.

Edge: even

Tally: Notion 2, Obsidian 2, even 1.

When neither fits

A reader who wants the simplest possible capture with no setup should look at Simplenote, which is free for the apps, syncing and sharing. Someone who wants local-first data but also real-time collaboration should look at Anytype, which has a Free plan with 100 MB of remote storage.

See Anytype, Simplenote and Joplin among the 12 products in Best Note-Taking Apps in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is Obsidian free for work use?

Yes. Obsidian's pricing page says you are not required to pay for a commercial license, although it encourages organizations to buy one at $50 per user per year. The Sync and Publish add-ons are the only parts that are charged for by default.

Can I move my Notion workspace into Obsidian?

Yes, in part. Notion exports pages as Markdown and databases as CSV, and Obsidian's Importer plugin converts Notion data into Markdown files. Database relations, views and formulas are not carried over, so expect to rebuild any tracker as plain notes or tables.

Does Obsidian encrypt my notes?

Only if you use its Sync service. Obsidian states that Sync is secured with AES-256 end-to-end encryption, so the company cannot read the notes. Without Sync, nothing leaves your device through Obsidian, and protection depends on how you store and back up the folder.

Which is better for a team of ten?

Notion, for most teams. Plus is priced per member and Business adds permissions and SSO. Obsidian can share a vault through Sync, but it lacks comments and row-level permissions, so a group that needs those controls will outgrow it quickly.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 20, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.