Comparisons
Notion vs Obsidian: Which should you choose?
The two most-discussed knowledge tools solve different problems: Notion is a shared workspace, Obsidian is a private thinking tool.
Verdict
Pick Obsidian for personal, offline, portable notes. Pick Notion when the notes must be shared, structured as databases, or edited by a team.
- By
- LaunchFaro editorial
- Review
- Not yet reviewed by a named editor
- Next review
Notion
Docs, wikis and databases in one workspace, with an AI layer on top.
- Platforms
- iOS apps, Chrome extensions
- Price (store label)
- Free
- Publisher
- Notion Labs, Incorporated
- Store data checked
- Oct 17, 2026
Obsidian
Local-first Markdown notes with backlinks and a large plugin ecosystem.
- Platforms
- iOS apps, Open-source releases
- Price (store label)
- Free
- Publisher
- Dynalist Inc.
- Store data checked
- Oct 17, 2026
Key differences
Side by side
| Dimension | Notion | Obsidian | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iOS apps, Chrome extensions | iOS apps, Open-source releases | Store data Oct 17, 2026 |
| Price (store label) | Free | Free | Store data Oct 17, 2026 |
| Publisher | Notion Labs, Incorporated | Dynalist Inc. | Store data Oct 17, 2026 |
| Storage | Notion cloud | Local Markdown files | Our assessment |
| Offline | Per page, opt-in; some features need a connection | Full (local files) | Our assessment |
| Collaboration | Real-time, permissions | Through paid Obsidian Sync shared vaults | Our assessment |
| Extensibility | Integrations and API | Community plugins | Our assessment |
| Price | Free tier, per-seat paid | Free; paid sync optional | Our assessment |
Platform, price and publisher come from store listings, last retrieved Oct 17, 2026. Other rows are our assessment. Values come from LaunchFaro's comparison notes. A cell marked Not verified has no confirmed value yet.