Notion is a powerful all-in-one workspace with advanced databases, collaboration, and project management features, while Obsidian is a local-first, privacy-focused note-taking app optimized for personal knowledge graphs and unstructured thinking. Notion excels for teams and complex data management; Obsidian shines for individual thinkers who prioritize offline access and data ownership.
Notion vs Obsidian — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
All-in-one workspace combining tasks, databases, wikis, documents, and team collaboration.
Local-first markdown editor with bidirectional linking, plugins, and complete data ownership.
Collaboration & Team Features. Data Structure. Offline Access. Data Ownership & Privacy. AI Features. Learning Curve. Best Use Case
Neither tool is objectively superior—they serve different needs. Notion dominates for teams, structured data management, and collaborative work, while Obsidian excels for individual knowledge management, privacy-conscious users, and offline-first workflows. Many power users leverage both tools together: Obsidian for personal thinking and graph development, Notion for team collaboration and final outputs.
Notion: Notion's cloud servers | Obsidian: Local device
Notion: Free / $8-15 per user | Obsidian: Free (sync $8-10/mo optional)
Notion: Customizable approach | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Moderate support | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Real-time co-editing, permissions, comments, activity tracking | Obsidian: Minimal (plugin-dependent)
Notion: Limited (~30%) | Obsidian: Complete (100%)
Notion: Full (relational databases, rollups, formulas) | Obsidian: Basic (via plugins only)
Notion: 5/10 (steep) | Obsidian: 8/10 (gentle)
Notion: Cloud-hosted (Notion controls servers) | Obsidian: Complete local ownership; markdown files on your device
Notion: Yes (built-in AI assistant) | Obsidian: No (plugin-based only)
Notion: High availability (no published SLA) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 9/10 (blocks, databases, relations) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5/10 (basic automations only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 2-50 users (flexible scale) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 7-14 days (custom setup required) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $20 (Business tier) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $24+ (Enterprise, custom) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited task/project features | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 9/10 - Highly customizable | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 8/10 - Steep learning curve | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 9/10 - Native docs & databases | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic (manual linking only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Comprehensive (wiki, docs, databases, linked records) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No (requires manual setup with databases) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Very High (fully customizable databases and properties) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10 (free plan with guests) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Not available (must track manually) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $8/month (Team tier) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Excellent for non-technical users - intuitive linked properties | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited native two-way sync capability | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Built-in AI assistant with limited agent connections | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Steep learning curve with flexible drag-and-drop | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Exceptional - optimized for feature roadmaps and linked data | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic (via integrations only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited tier system | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full editor (formatting, blocks, collaboration) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 100+ templates and integrations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited with role-based permissions | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Flexible block-based editor with databases | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Teams, project managers, content creators | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Views API, Markdown support, automatic retries (2026) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited blocks and pages | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full relational database support | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited offline capabilities | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Table, Board, Timeline, Calendar, Gallery, List | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: REST API and official SDK | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Comments, mentions, real-time editing, threads | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Free (or $10/month for AI) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited offline; web-first platform | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (free tier exists) | Obsidian: $89
Notion: $100-160/month | Obsidian: $0 (not designed for teams)
Notion: Unlimited | Obsidian: No native support
Notion: Basic linked mentions; manual linking required | Obsidian: 9 (advanced graph visualization)
Notion: 400+ (official integrations) | Obsidian: 1000+ (community plugins)
Notion: 100+ million across all sectors | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Free (Plus $10/user) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Moderate (2-3 seconds with complex databases) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1000+ through Zapier and native | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: All-in-one workspace & documentation | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 3-7 days depending on customization | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Native iOS/Android, good but slower | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: SSO, AI features, advanced permissions, audit logs | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30-60 (database learning curve) | Obsidian: 5-15 (markdown basics)
Notion: 8 (iOS/Android, full sync) | Obsidian: 7 (Obsidian Mobile, good)
Notion: PDF/CSV (some lock-in) | Obsidian: Markdown + Attachments (fully portable)
Notion: 10+ million active users | Obsidian: 3+ million active users
Notion: Yes, basic timeline view only | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 3 requests per second (~180/min) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited (manual + integrations) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 50,000+ community templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Cloud-based SaaS | Obsidian: Local Markdown files
Notion: Proprietary blocks | Obsidian: Plain Markdown
Notion: CSV / Markdown export | Obsidian: Native Markdown (always portable)
Notion: No | Obsidian: No (free but proprietary)
Notion: Yes — real-time | Obsidian: No (single-player by default)
Notion: Cloud (built-in) | Obsidian: Obsidian Sync ($4/mo) or iCloud/Dropbox
Notion: Limited | Obsidian: Via Outliner plugin
Notion: Yes (basic) | Obsidian: Yes (via links)
Notion: Yes — powerful | Obsidian: Via Dataview plugin
Notion: Yes | Obsidian: Yes (community + core)
Notion: Yes (basic) | Obsidian: Via plugins
Notion: No | Obsidian: Via Spaced Repetition plugin
Notion: Limited (limited API) | Obsidian: 1,500+ community plugins
Notion: Notion AI (bundled in Business/Enterprise; trial on Free/Plus) | Obsidian: Via plugins (Copilot, Smart Connections)
Notion: Free (10 guests) | Obsidian: Free
Notion: Included | Obsidian: Obsidian Sync $4/mo
Notion: Plus $10/user/mo | Obsidian: N/A (no team plan)
Free Tier Monthly Recording/Creation Limit
Notion: AI-powered search, Q&A, writing assistance (add-on) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Centralized knowledge/PM workspace | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $100 (10 users @ $10) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (Unlimited plan) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Read-only offline (web); requires app for editing | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full relational databases with 10+ view types | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5-10 hours for proficiency | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Public API with Zapier/webhook support | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10/month (Plus plan) | Obsidian: $0–$10/month (optional sync subscription)
Notion: 3 (full page, bookmark, simple) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Native relational databases with rollups, filters, sorts | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 | Obsidian: $0/month (free tier)
Notion: Basic (AI blocks limited to Pro/Team plans) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 0 (no native integration) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 500+ via Zapier, native integrations, and API | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1000+ community and official templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited (requires sync after reconnect) | Obsidian: Full (100% offline functionality)
Notion: 10+ million active users | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30 minutes (learning curve for full features) | Obsidian: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Notion: Unlimited workspace content; 5GB file attachments | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - relations, filters, sorts, multiple views | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full offline mode (desktop app) | Obsidian: 100% fully functional offline
Notion: 60+ (steep learning curve) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic (simple triggers and actions) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - unlimited pages and sharing | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes (native relations, rollups, and rollup filters) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 6 (Table, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery, Board, List) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10,000 (performance degrades noticeably after 5,000) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1,500+ (Zapier, Slack, webhooks, and native integrations) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Comments, mentions, reminders only | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $120/year (Plus plan) | Obsidian: Free (with optional $50 Sync)
Notion: 6 platforms (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Advanced relational databases with filtering and sorting | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full real-time collaboration with comments and permissions | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Partial offline (web requires internet, mobile has limited offline mode) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Proprietary Notion format (limited standard export) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30-60 minutes to understand core features | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Robust public API with extensive integration ecosystem | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited (Plus plan) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Not FedRAMP authorized | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (limited to 1M blocks/month) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited (team plan dependent) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1-to-1, Many-to-1, Many-to-Many | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 12+ (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery, etc.) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 6+ (complex feature set requires training) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 8+ (PDF, HTML, Markdown, CSV, etc.) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - unlimited blocks and databases | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 75+ million registered users (as of 2024) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $120 per year (Plus plan, no AI) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited in Team plan | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited (per subscription) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No (third-party integrations only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No (web-based only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Notion AI included in Pro/Team plans | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Linear page-based structure | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited (paid plans) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full relational databases with filters, sorts, relations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10000+ community templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full offline capability with sync | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited blocks + 10 GB files | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (unlimited access) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 50+ integrated features | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited (requires extension) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (Pro: $120/year) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 20+ workspace templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Timeline view available; no dependency or critical path analysis | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Manual tracking only; no native capacity features | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10,000 rows (performance degrades) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited cross-database visibility | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5-10 MB per block | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5+ (Table, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $12 (Notion Team plan) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (personal), $120/year (Pro single-user) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5 GB (Notion personal, expandable) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 50+ (SUM, IF, COUNT, ROLLUP, etc.) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 8-15 hours for competent database design | Obsidian: N/A
Maximum Database Rows (optimal performance)
Notion: 10,000 rows before noticeable slowdown | Obsidian: N/A
Real-time Simultaneous Collaborators (unlimited tier)
Notion: Limited by workspace plan (typically 10-50 concurrent editors) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Excellent; optimized for mobile-first reading and editing | Obsidian: N/A
Native Data Visualization (charts, pivots)
Notion: No; requires third-party tools or manual workarounds | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full relational with rollups, formulas, aggregations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited (formula-based) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full offline mode | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes, real-time collaboration | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1-2 seconds (1000-2000ms) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10+ (stable with minor lag) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No native email; third-party only | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 100+ REST API endpoints | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Read-only mode offline | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1000+ community templates + Zapier/Make | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: iOS + Android official apps | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 800+ official templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Notion API + CSV/Markdown exports | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $14 (Pro plan, annual) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $32 (Team plan, annual) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 12 basic automation triggers | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30 hours for proficiency | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic calendar view (limited critical path analysis) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited custom fields, relations, formulas, rollups, and linked databases | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 500+ via Zapier, 50+ native | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (billed annually) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: ~10,000+ templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited with cursor presence | Obsidian: Limited to manual sharing; no native multi-user editing
Notion: Optimized up to 10,000 items per view | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Database automations, API integrations, Zapier/Make support | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10.00 (or free) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 15+ (Table, Kanban, Calendar, Gallery, Timeline, etc.) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $120/month (Pro plan, capped usage) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $120/month (unlimited members, Pro) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 0 native (requires third-party integration) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full rich-text editor with embeds | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Advanced, with rollups and filters | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited offline; requires internet for most features | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10-14 days for average user | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Sync requires active internet connection | Obsidian: N/A
Starting Price per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Notion: $10/user (free tier available) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited users, unlimited workspaces | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Third-party only (Zapier) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Advanced (rollups, lookups, formulas) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 3 requests/second (180/min) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1.4s (typical page/database view) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 300+ integrations via Zapier/native | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (Unlimited free tier) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No (requires integration) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5 views (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30+ automation options | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10+ types (includes relations, rollups, formulas, templates) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 2-4 hours to start productive work | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited (basic role options, no granular permissions) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $150/month (15 members × $10) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $500/month (50 members × $10) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1 (comments only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 8 (relational, formulas, rollups, filters, sorts, synced blocks, templates) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited free tier | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 40% of desktop features | Obsidian: N/A
Base Monthly Cost Per User (Annual Billing)
Notion: $10.00 (Team plan) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Not native - timeline view available via database relations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Manual tracking via database properties | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full support with many-to-many relations and rollups | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic - templates and button automations, limited conditional logic | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 150+ integrations via Zapier, Make, and native connectors | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited pages (feature-limited) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 8 (basic actions only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full rich-text editor with synced blocks | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Linked databases with basic relations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 3 (Table, Board, Gallery) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 50+ simultaneous | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (Personal Pro with AI) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30-60 minutes to configure workspace | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Advanced with filtering, sorting, and relations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited simultaneous editors | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (Plus plan, free tier available with limits) | Obsidian: $0 (free) or $49 one-time
Notion: $120/year ($600 over 5 years) | Obsidian: $49 one-time lifetime
Notion: 2000-4000ms (dependent on internet) | Obsidian: <500ms
Notion: 1000-2000ms | Obsidian: 50-200ms
Notion: Unlimited | Obsidian: 1-2 (shared vault via third-party)
Notion: Full (one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups, formulas) | Obsidian: Partial (Dataview plugin, limited querying)
Notion: 200+ (primarily cosmetic and integration) | Obsidian: 50+ official + 100+ community
Notion: Manual creation (no AI) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 20+ interface languages | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 0 without AI add-on | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 0% (no AI acceleration) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: ~2.5M (estimated)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Via plugins only
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Limited (HTTP API beta)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Bootstrapped (private)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: 5 (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Standard markdown (high portability)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: 70% feature parity (plugins limited on mobile)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Unlimited (device storage dependent)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Free (Sync $8/month optional)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: $0-96/year (depending on add-ons)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Standard Markdown (.md files)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: 5M+ downloads on mobile alone
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Built-in graph with plugin enhancements
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: $0/year (or $120 with Obsidian Sync)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Local device or user-chosen cloud storage
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: iOS and Android available (limited features on free tier)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Unlimited (fully free tier)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: $0 (free core) or $120/year (with Sync)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: ~1.5 million (2024 estimate)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: 6 (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web)
How to choose between Notion and Obsidian
Notion vs Obsidian — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Notion vs Obsidian. Contains 381 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Notion vs Obsidian — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Notion vs Obsidian.
Yes, many power users maintain a hybrid workflow: Obsidian for personal thinking, knowledge development, and drafting using graph-based organization, then publish final outputs to Notion for team collaboration. This leverages each tool's strengths—Obsidian's local-first graph thinking and Notion's collaborative polishing and distribution.
Which tool is better for team collaboration?
Notion is significantly superior for team collaboration with native permissions, real-time editing, comments, and integrated task management. Obsidian has minimal collaboration features and requires third-party vault-sharing solutions, making it unsuitable for teams unless heavily supplemented with external tools.
What if I prioritize privacy and data ownership?
Obsidian is the clear choice for privacy-focused users. All data is stored locally on your device, giving you 100% ownership and control. Notion, being cloud-based, stores data on Notion's servers, meaning you sacrifice direct data control and face potential privacy considerations depending on your jurisdiction.
Notion includes a native AI assistant built directly into the platform for content enhancement and productivity. Obsidian relies entirely on community plugins for AI functionality, which requires additional setup and may not be as seamlessly integrated. Notion's native AI is more user-friendly out-of-the-box.
Is Obsidian really free while Notion costs money?
Yes, Obsidian offers a free version with all core features for local storage. Notion's personal plan costs $10/month, though it also offers a free tier with limited features. However, Notion's pricing scales for teams ($15-25 per member/month). For individuals focused on personal knowledge management, Obsidian's free offering is a significant advantage.
How to Choose Between Notion and Obsidian
Collaboration & Team Features: Notion has Advanced permissions, comments, real-time collaboration, while Obsidian has Minimal; requires third-party vault sharing.
Data Structure: Notion has Relational databases, tables, rollups, complex formulas, while Obsidian has Unstructured thinking, backlinks, graph view.
Offline Access: Notion has Limited; primarily cloud-based, while Obsidian has Full offline support; local-first architecture.
Data Ownership & Privacy: Notion has Cloud-hosted; Notion controls servers, while Obsidian has 100% local files; complete user control.
AI Features: Notion has Native AI assistant built-in, while Obsidian has AI via plugins only.
Learning Curve: Notion has Steep; requires time to master databases and formulas, while Obsidian has Gentle; simple markdown-based note-taking.
Best Use Case: Notion has Team projects, shared databases, polished documentation, while Obsidian has Personal knowledge management, graph thinking, drafting.