Notion vs Obsidian
Obsidian for private notes you keep as files on your own devices; Notion for teams that share docs and databases.
Pick Notion if…
Pick Notion if several people need to work in the same pages and databases. It also suits you if you want AI agents and team permissions on a paid plan.
Pick Obsidian if…
Pick Obsidian if your notes are personal and you want them stored on your device in open formats. It is free for all purposes, including work.
Price
- Freemium
- Free
Starting price
Free plan
Open source
Works on
| Feature | Workspace for notes, docs and team knowledge, with AI agents on higher plans. | Note-taking app that stores notes as local files, with links between notes and a graph view. |
|---|---|---|
| Price |
|
|
| Starting price | $10 per member / month (Plus plan) | — |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
| Works on | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| Try Notion (opens the Notion website in a new tab) | Try Obsidian (opens the Obsidian website in a new tab) |
On price, both have a free way in. Notion's Free plan is $0 per member per month, with limits such as 5 MB uploads and 7 days of page history. Plus is $10 and Business is $20 per member per month; the page does not say whether those are the yearly or monthly rates. Obsidian is free without limits, including for commercial use, and its paid extras are optional: Sync at $4 per user per month billed annually and a $50 per user per year Commercial licence.
They store notes differently. Obsidian keeps notes on your device in open file formats and works offline, with links between notes, a graph view and Canvas. Notion is a workspace for docs, databases and team knowledge, with AI agents and enterprise controls such as SAML SSO on Business.
Both run on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Obsidian also lists Linux builds, while Notion's pages list desktop apps for macOS and Windows and a web clipper for Chrome and Safari. Notion is used through a browser login as well.
If you work alone and care about owning your files, start with Obsidian. If your team needs shared pages and permissions, Notion's free plan is a fair place to test, though teams of 2 or more hit block limits there.
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Last updated 16 October 2026. How we make money