Notion is a cloud-based all-in-one workspace with databases, wikis, and collaboration tools, while Obsidian is a local-first markdown editor designed for knowledge management through interconnected notes. Notion excels at team collaboration and structured data, whereas Obsidian prioritizes privacy, speed, and personal knowledge graphs.
Notion vs Obsidian — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
All-in-one workspace combining databases, documents, wikis, and task management with flexible templates.
Local-first markdown editor with graph-based note linking and community plugin ecosystem.
Data Storage & Privacy. Collaboration Features. Pricing Model. Performance Speed. Database & Structured Data. Learning Curve. Offline Access
Choose Notion if you need team collaboration, structured databases, and an integrated workspace for projects, documents, and CRM-style tracking. Choose Obsidian if you prioritize privacy, speed, own your data, and want to build a personal knowledge management system with minimal recurring costs.
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: $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: 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: 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–$10/month (optional sync subscription)
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 (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: 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: Full relational databases with filters, sorts, relations | 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: $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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Up to 100+ simultaneous editors per workspace | Obsidian: Limited to manual sharing; no native multi-user editing
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: $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: $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: 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: 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 453 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Notion vs Obsidian — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Notion vs Obsidian.
Notion has limited offline access—you can view cached pages but cannot create or edit content offline. Obsidian works entirely offline since all data is stored locally on your device. If offline access is critical, Obsidian is the clear winner.
Notion is purpose-built for teams with real-time multi-user editing, comments, permissions, and guest access. Obsidian is designed for individual use; team collaboration requires third-party tools like GitHub or manual file syncing. For teams, Notion is essential.
Is my data private in Notion and Obsidian?
Obsidian is completely private—all data stays on your device and you own it entirely. Notion's data is stored on Notion's cloud servers, which encrypts data in transit and at rest, but Notion accesses your data to provide features. For maximum privacy control, Obsidian wins.
Which is faster for note-taking and knowledge management?
Obsidian is significantly faster due to local-first architecture (typically 50-200ms app launch vs Notion's 2-4 seconds). For users managing thousands of notes or working on slower internet, Obsidian's instant performance is a major advantage.
Obsidian stores everything as markdown files you can access directly—zero vendor lock-in. Notion allows CSV/markdown exports but is slower and less portable. Obsidian provides superior data portability and ownership.
How to Choose Between Notion and Obsidian
Data Storage & Privacy: Notion has Cloud-based (Notion servers), while Obsidian has Local-first (your device).
Collaboration Features: Notion has Real-time multi-user editing, team workspaces, permissions, while Obsidian has Limited (community plugins only).
Pricing Model: Notion has $0-$20/month per user, while Obsidian has $0 (free) or $50 one-time for Obsidian Sync.
Performance Speed: Notion has Dependent on internet connection & server load, while Obsidian has Instant, runs entirely on-device.
Database & Structured Data: Notion has Native relational databases with views, filters, sorts, while Obsidian has Manual tagging, links, YAML frontmatter only.
Learning Curve: Notion has Moderate (UI is intuitive but feature-rich), while Obsidian has Steep (requires markdown + linking philosophy).
Offline Access: Notion has Limited (some features unavailable offline), while Obsidian has Full offline functionality.