Notesnook vs Obsidian

Encrypted by default, for everyone, with sync across every device free.

Notesnook encrypts every note on your device and syncs unlimited devices on the free plan. Obsidian keeps plain Markdown files on your disk and charges $48 a year for encrypted sync — genuinely end-to-end encrypted when you buy it, which we won't pretend otherwise about. The difference is whether privacy is the default or an add-on.

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OUR CASE

Where Notesnook is better

Encrypted by default, not as an add-on.

Every note encrypted on every plan, including free.
Obsidian's encryption arrives with Sync, at $48 a year.
Until then there is no sync at all.

Sync every device, free.

Unlimited devices on the free plan.
No vault to manage, no plugin to configure.

Nothing readable left behind.

Obsidian leaves plain Markdown files on disk.
Ours are encrypted at rest, with app lock on top.

Open source, and yours to run.

GPL-3.0 clients, self-hostable sync server.
Obsidian's code is not open source.

Privacy and encryption

	Notesnook	Obsidian
Notes end-to-end encrypted when synced
Notes stored as plain Markdown files on your device
Source code released under an open-source licence
Self-hostable sync server

Sync and price, USD per year

	Notesnook	Obsidian
Cross-device sync on the free plan
Cost of first-party sync	$0	$48/yr
Cost of the full editor	$19.99/yr	$0
Separate licence required for work use		$50/user/yr
Note version history	100 free, unlimited on Pro	With Sync

Capability

	Notesnook	Obsidian
Community plugins
Custom themes
Graph view
Canvas / infinite whiteboard
Bidirectional and block-level note links
Works offline
App lock (passcode / biometrics)
Full export
Free trial	14 days

Obsidian is a trademark of Dynalist Inc. This comparison was written from their published pricing and product pages on 2026-07-30 and is not endorsed by them. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.

THE OTHER SIDE

In fairness to Obsidian

Where Obsidian is stronger, in our own words. If one of these decides it for you, we would rather you read it here than find out later.

Obsidian Sync really is end-to-end encrypted.

Their pricing page says your data is secured with AES-256 end-to-end encryption, so they can't read it. If you've read somewhere that Obsidian isn't encrypted, that's wrong. The difference isn't whether encryption exists — it's that theirs costs $48 a year and ours is the default on every plan, free included.

Plain files are a real advantage, and we don't have them.

Obsidian keeps your notes as Markdown files you can open in any editor, back up with any tool and script against. Ours are encrypted, which is the point — and it also means only Notesnook reads them until you export. If owning the raw files matters most, use Obsidian.

Plugins, Canvas and the graph view have no equivalent here.

Thousands of community plugins, an infinite canvas, and a map of how your notes connect. We have none of it. If you build a system rather than take notes, that gap is the whole decision.

Questions & answers

Is Obsidian encrypted?

Obsidian Sync is end-to-end encrypted with AES-256, according to their own pricing page — so if you pay for Sync, they can't read your synced notes. Without Sync, your notes are plain Markdown files sitting on your device: private from Obsidian because they never leave, readable by anything else with access to that machine.

Why choose Notesnook over Obsidian?

Encryption by default instead of as a $48 add-on, sync across unlimited devices on the free plan, open-source clients with a server you can run yourself, and app lock. If those matter more than plain files and plugins, we're the better fit.

Why stay with Obsidian?

Markdown files you own outright, thousands of community plugins, Canvas, the graph view, and an editor that's free without limits. We have none of those four.

Can I move my vault into Notesnook?

Yes. We import from Obsidian, and your vault is already Markdown so nothing needs converting first. Create your free account, then import.

Is there a trial?

14 days on every plan, cancel any time — and a free plan that never expires, with unlimited notes on unlimited devices.