Obsidian and Notion are useful note-taking apps for businesses of all sizes. But there are some differences between the two. Obsidian, for example, works exclusively offline, while Notion is an exclusively online app.
If you’re looking for a note-taking tool, there are many options on the market to help you organize your work and ideas. However, with so many options, it’s hard to decide between two of the best apps out there: will it be Obsidian or Notion?
This article will review both apps in depth to help you make an informed decision.
Notion
Notion started out as a purely note-taking app. But now it has become the perfect block-based project management tool, whether you are a solopreneur or belong to a small team. Great for keeping project-related information in one place, this powerful tool is great for to-do lists, bookmarks, and project tracking. Additionally, you can produce wikis, product guides, and even websites.
Available as a desktop and mobile app, Notion is compatible with many operating systems, including Android, Windows, and iOS. The app uses Kanban boards, epic calendars, task lists, and sprint organizers for management. In particular, small teams and inpiduals can benefit from Notion’s free plan. Compared to the other plans available, the Plus plan supports up to 100 guests, has unlimited file storage and version history of up to 30 days. The Business plan supports up to 250 members.
Notion has its Notion Al bot, which is similar to ChatGPT. The app is great for sharing notes and collaborating. If you want to collaborate with a team member, simply share a link to edit, comment, or view. Notion also has backlinks, a feature that makes it easy to create your own wikis and helps you connect ideas or manage tasks.
Unfortunately, it has its disadvantages. That is, there are no advanced features for project management, which could be a deal breaker for larger organizations. Just as important is that the safety features are nothing to write home about. If that’s a particular concern for your niche, you may want to look elsewhere.
Advantages
- Great for taking notes
- Easy to customize
- Good price
- The free plan has enough features for inpidual entrepreneurs
Cons
- No advanced project management features
- Poor security features
Obsidian
You do not need to set up an account to use Obsidian. You can simply create a new Vault, which is like a folder on the device you use. Once you’ve created your Vault, you can start sending text documents, dragging attachments, embedding PDFs and videos, and much more.
For formatting, you can use Markdown, a set of codes. Markdown is common in messaging and writing applications. If you’ve never used Obsidian before, your first priority is to get familiar with Markdown. Obsidian helps you organize your notes. If you use any cloud storage service, you can store and sync Obsidian Vault instead of using the paid option.
Despite being powerful, there are some features that Obsidian lacks. For example, the app does not have any collaboration features. The reason is that it was designed for single person use. As such, it runs on your device rather than in the cloud. Unfortunately, Obsidian is also not available for mobile users. You can only use it on Linux, Windows, and Mac. However, the app’s backlink is a main feature. You can link notes to another notes page in Chart View.
With its plugins, community support, and API, Obsidian offers a host of attractive features for both large and small organizations. In terms of plans, there is a Catalyst plan and a Commercial plan. The first includes supporting development, early access to internal builds, special community badges, and access to an exclusive development channel. All for a single, competitive rate. With the commercial plan, you get a 14-day free trial and priority support. The separately paid add-on is called Obsidian Sync for which you pay an annual fee.
Obsidian does not use Al tools and is only available offline. You’ll have to pay more to sync notes with other devices. That said, Obsidian does not have real-time collaboration. If you want to help edit, you can use a plugin. However, it won’t give you the seamless experience that Notion does. You also won’t be able to send someone a link to view your vault in Obsidian. To do so, you would have to export it in PDF or text format.
Advantages
- free for personal use
- Notes are stored locally as text documents.
- Various ways to organize notes
Cons
- There is no built-in support for any function
- There is no web app for Obsidian
- difficult to start
Frequent questions
How do I choose Notion or Obsidian?
If you intend to use the app for more than just taking notes and want everything on a single workstation, Notion should be your preferred choice. Obsidian is superior if you like a Markdown-based note-taking app. And if you like the idea of extensive plugin ecosystems, Obsidian may also be a better choice. It all depends on your inpidual needs.
Is it possible to link Notion with Obsidian?
Yes. You must use an Obsidian community plugin if you want to sync Obsidian notes with Notion. Notes will be synced from the Obsidian vault to a Notion database.
Can Obsidian be used without Internet?
Obsidian works completely offline. You will never have service or Internet problems. You can work and read anywhere and at any time.
The battle of the note-taking apps
People use Notion for note taking, meetings, documentation, interviews, assignments, wikis, and other tasks. Obsidian is primarily used for projects in any industry where connectivity is of utmost importance. With a few clicks, you’ll get information about your project and can adjust the content and scope accordingly. On a more everyday level, it’s also useful for shopping lists, meeting minutes, or class notes.
