Obsidian

A second brain, for you, forever.

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Overview

Obsidian is a highly customizable personal knowledge management application. It allows users to create a network of notes using backlinks and visualize the connections in a graph view. Because it works with local Markdown files, users have full ownership and control over their data. Obsidian's functionality can be significantly extended through a vast library of community-developed plugins.

✨ Key Features

  • Bi-directional linking
  • Graph view
  • Local-first and plain text files (Markdown)
  • Highly extensible with plugins
  • Customizable themes
  • Offline access

🎯 Key Differentiators

  • Local-first and plain text file-based
  • Extreme customizability through plugins
  • Free for personal use

Unique Value: Complete control and ownership of your data in a highly extensible and future-proof format.

🎯 Use Cases (5)

Personal knowledge management Zettelkasten method Research and academic writing World-building for creative projects Project management

✅ Best For

  • Building a personal wiki or digital garden
  • Organizing research for academic papers
  • Creating a highly customized note-taking system

💡 Check With Vendor

Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:

  • Real-time collaboration with a large team (though some workarounds exist)
  • Users who prefer a simple, out-of-the-box solution with no setup

🏆 Alternatives

Roam Research Logseq Notion

Obsidian offers unparalleled customization and data ownership compared to cloud-based note-taking apps.

💻 Platforms

Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux) iOS Android

✅ Offline Mode Available

🔌 Integrations

Zotero Readwise Zapier (via community plugins) Various other services through community plugins

🛟 Support Options

  • ✓ Email Support
  • ✓ Dedicated Support (NA tier)

🔒 Compliance & Security

✓ GDPR

💰 Pricing

$10.00/mo
Free Tier Available

Free tier: The core application is free for personal use.

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