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 for notes, databases, wikis, and project management
Local-first markdown note-taking app focused on bidirectional linking and knowledge graphs.
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: 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: $10 flat monthly (unlimited users) | 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: Requires paid Obsidian Sync ($4/month) or workarounds
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: 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) or $20/month (Business) | Obsidian: $0 (optional $10/month Sync)
Notion: 3 (full page, bookmark, simple) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (free tier) / $10 (Plus) | Obsidian: $0 (completely free)
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 (cached content only) | Obsidian: 100% full access offline
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: 40% (cached pages only) | Obsidian: 100% (fully 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 features for individuals/small teams | 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: Advanced relational databases with formulas, rollups, filters | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 2000+ community templates | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full offline capability with sync | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited blocks + 10 GB files | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 7-14 days to use advanced features | 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: $10/user/month (billed annually) | 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: 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: $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: Zapier/Make (indirect, 5,000+ apps) | 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: Up to 10 databases/pages | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 6 views (table, kanban, calendar, timeline, gallery, list) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: View-only for complex databases; limited editing | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 120-240 minutes (requires template setup) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - rich-text with synced blocks and templates | Obsidian: N/A
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Notion: No (Zapier workaround only) | 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: 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: $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: Basic (relations, limited rollups) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited offline; requires internet for most features | 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: 8+ views (Table, Board, Timeline, Calendar, Gallery, Kanban, Database) | 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 available | 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: 900+ plugins
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: Yes - unlimited notes with basic features | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 6 platforms (Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux via web) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited blocks (tested with 1M+ blocks) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 100+ simultaneous editors | Obsidian: 0 (local-first only)
Notion: 80+ native integrations + Zapier support | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Markdown support with limited native formatting | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5 primary views (table, board, gallery, calendar, timeline) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited blocks (varies by content type) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No (third-party integration only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full relational databases with custom properties | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Limited to cached data only | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10.00 (Notion AI) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10+ (Table, Kanban, Gallery, Timeline, Calendar, Board, etc.) | Obsidian: N/A
Monthly Cost Per User (Team Plan, Annual Billing)
Maximum Concurrent Users Per Board/Workspace
Notion: Yes (unlimited pages, limited blocks) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited (async-optimized) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Full relational DB support with rollups | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: ~1000+ via Zapier + REST API | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: CSV, JSON, Markdown, HTML, PDF | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: ~1000 blocks per page (soft limit) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited blocks | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: N/A (no native OCR) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Mobile requires internet | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 800+ Zapier integrations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Advanced with filters, sorts, rollups | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 100+ million | Obsidian: 1.5+ million users (as of 2025)
Notion: $8-10/user/month (Pro plan for teams) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 40+ field types including relations and rollups | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 60% feature parity, web-responsive only | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 5-10 hours for team mastery | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No - requires Slack, Discord, or Email integration | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1,000+ records with noticeable performance impact | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 100+ integrations + native API | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (Team Plan, unlimited users) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 45% - Limited timeline view, workarounds needed | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 95% - Multi-level relations, rollups, filters | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 4.5 stars (64,000+ reviews) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited users, full feature access | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Native + Zapier/Make support + 1000+ integrations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 4 (Table, Board, Calendar, Timeline) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 50+ native automations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 20 blocks/month; major restrictions | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: No native option; requires third-party | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Rich collaborative docs with AI assistance | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1 week to start basic workflows | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $10 (Team plan per seat, or $200/month unlimited) | Obsidian: N/A
Total Cost of Ownership (50 Users, Annual)
Notion: $2,400 (workspace plan $200 × 12) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 3 levels (Workspace, Page, Database controls) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Included in plan | Obsidian: $50/year (Obsidian Sync)
Notion: Unlimited (Business plan) | Obsidian: 1 (local-first design)
Notion: 2000-4000ms (dependent on connection) | Obsidian: 50-200ms (instant, local)
Notion: 1000 blocks per free account | Obsidian: Unlimited (local storage)
Notion: Yes (live cursors, comments) | Obsidian: No (community plugins only)
Notion: ~50 official integrations | Obsidian: 1000+ community plugins
Notion: 5,000 rows before noticeable lag | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited file uploads (paid only) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Unlimited users (read-only limit applies) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10,000-25,000 items (performance degrades) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic database automations only | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $15/month (Plus annual) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Extensive (rich editor, full wiki) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 500+ integrations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 10,000 rows (before slowdown) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 1-2 hours (template-based) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 100+ official + community integrations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Basic backlinks (added 2023) | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Slows with 1,000+ items in single database | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Not available; no native graph view | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: $0 (free tier with limits) | Obsidian: $0 (free forever locally)
Notion: $8-$20 per user | Obsidian: N/A (no team plans)
Notion: 1,200+ official integrations | Obsidian: 1,000+ plugins (most via community)
Notion: 30-50 hours (25+ block types) | Obsidian: 8-15 hours (markdown-based)
Notion: Advanced (rollups, formulas, relations) | Obsidian: Basic (metadata/tag-based)
Notion: 180,000+ on Discord | Obsidian: 150,000+ on Discord
Notion: 10M+ users globally | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - unlimited blocks, pages, users | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: 30+ official integrations | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - 24/7 support + community forum | Obsidian: N/A
Notion: Yes - SOC 2 Type II certified | 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: Open Markdown (plain text, portable)
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)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: $0 (with optional Obsidian Sync at $4/month)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Unlimited (depends on device storage)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: 30-60 minutes (vault creation, plugin configuration)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Local files + optional encrypted Obsidian Sync (end-to-end)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: No, requires plugin (Good.Links or similar)
Notion: N/A | Obsidian: Manual or third-party tools only
How to choose between Notion and Obsidian
Notion vs Obsidian — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Notion vs Obsidian. Contains 489 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Notion vs Obsidian — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Notion vs Obsidian.
Is Obsidian better than Notion for note-taking?
For personal knowledge management with bidirectional links and data ownership, Obsidian is better. For structured team wikis and project management, Notion is better. They serve different primary use cases.
Can Obsidian be used for team collaboration?
Obsidian is primarily a personal tool. Obsidian Publish ($8/month) makes notes public; Sync lets you share across devices. Real-time collaborative editing like Notion doesn't exist in Obsidian.
Backlinks are automatic two-way connections between notes. When you link Note A to Note B, Note B shows all notes that link to it. This creates a web of connected ideas visible in Obsidian's Graph View.
Is Notion good for writing a book or research?
Many writers use Notion for organization (research databases, chapter outlines, character sheets). Obsidian's distraction-free editor and knowledge graph make it preferred for heavy research and long-form writing projects.
Notion stores your data on their servers — you can export to markdown or PDF, but it's cloud-dependent. Obsidian's files are local plain-text markdown, giving you full ownership regardless of the company's future.
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.
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;