| Obsidian | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Obsidian open with file manager, a note, graph view showing internal links, and sidebar with community plugin calendar (left to right) | |
| Original authors |
|
| Developer | Dynalist Inc. |
| Initial release | March 30, 2020 |
| Stable release | 1.11.7[1] 
/ 5 February 2026 |
| Written in | Electron, JavaScript, HTML, CSS |
| Platform | Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, iOS |
| Type | |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | obsidian |
Obsidian is a proprietary personal knowledge base and note-taking application that operates on markdown files.[2][3][4] The software is free for personal and commercial use; only the offered cloud services, optional commercial licenses, and early access versions are paid.[5] It is available as desktop versions for macOS, Windows and Linux as well as for mobile operating systems such as iOS and Android,[6] but not as a web application.
History
Shida Li and Erica Xu, the two eventual co-founders of Obsidian, met while studying at the University of Waterloo.[7] They both collaborated on several development projects prior to creating Obsidian, including the outliner tool Dynalist.io[7][8]: 17
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and they were left quarantining, they started working on Obsidian. Its development was motivated by shortcomings in other tools like MediaWiki, TiddlyWiki, and other note-taking apps. The idea was to build an app that was extensible in a similar manner to code editors and IDEs.[9][7]
Obsidian's first beta release came not long after on March 30, 2020,[10] and released its 1.0.0 version on October 13, 2022.[11][12]
On February 6, 2023, Steph Ango joined Obsidian as CEO after his contributions to Obsidian version 1.0.0 and involvement in the community. Previously, he'd been working at the startup Lumi before it was acquired in 2021.[9][13]
Availability
Obsidian is available on all major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Android. It is not available as a web app. Obsidian is free for both personal and commercial use; though they offer subscription-based premium services, an optional commercial license, and one-time payment to access beta versions of Obsidian.[14][7]
Usage
Obsidian is particularly suitable as a knowledge database for personal knowledge management and as software for creating notes that works with Markdown files.[15][16] It is designed to help users organize and structure their thoughts and knowledge in a flexible, non-linear way.[14]
Obsidian has also been described as a tool that facilitates a digital method of Zettelkasten, a note-taking methodology which heavily involves connecting related notes together, due to its internal linking and graph visualization features, which can reveal connections between notes.[17][15]
Obsidian has been used for a wide variety of use-cases, in large part due to the extensibility of the app through plugins, which allow users to tailor Obsidian to their needs by keeping it as simple or advanced as needed.[8]: 145 [18] Some use-cases include writing,[19] task management,[3] and learning.[17]
Features
Obsidian operates on a folder of text documents named a "vault";[20] each new note in Obsidian generates a new text document, and all documents can be searched from within the app.[14][3] Text formatting in Obsidian is achieved through markdown, with the ability to switch between a raw text (Source Mode) and a pre-rendered (Live Preview) mode while editing.[14]
Obsidian allows internal linking between notes, formatted either as Wikilinks or traditional markdown links, with links contributing to the interactive graph view that visualizes the relationships between notes.[14][7][3]
Plugins
Users may customize their Obsidian vaults by using plugins and themes, which extend the software's functionality with additional features or integration with other tools and customize the appearance of the app respectively.[14]
Obsidian isn't prescriptive about how users organize their notes. Bases is a core plugin that enables users to create database-like views of their notes, which can be customized to look like dynamic tables or even maps.[14] Canvas, another core plugin, provides a freeform, infinite 2D space where users can arrange and connect notes, attachments, and web pages.[9]
Graph
The graph view is a visualization of notes in the vault and the connections between them. It is composed of nodes representing files (typically markdown documents) and edges between nodes representing the internal links that connect notes together.[21]
Access to a broad overview of a vault and the connections between notes facilitates discovery of new connections that may not have been obvious when looking at just a single note in isolation.[17]: 298 [15]
Premium services
Obsidian offers two subscription-based services: Obsidian Sync and Obsidian Publish. Sync is an encrypted file-synchronization service that synchronizes notes across devices. Publish is a web-hosting service that allows users to upload their notes to a dedicated website.[7]
Alternatives to Obsidian's premium services are available because users store notes locally on their devices.[14] File-hosting services or peer-to-peer file sharing tools can be used for cross-device sync.[14][17]: 298 Users can also publish vault content to the web using community plugins.[9]
Reception
Obsidian has been praised by reviewers for its flexibility and many customization options. A reviewer at PCMag wrote about community plugins and themes enabling a wide variety of use-cases and workflows in Obsidian.[14] Another reviewer at Fast Company said that Obsidian is not prescriptive about how users organize their notes, giving them a variety of options and formats for doing so.[9]
Sharing Obsidian notes across devices for free is seen as more difficult, but still possible. Reviewers note that Obsidian's local-first approach to storing notes has enabled the use of free alternatives to Obsidian Sync.[9][14] Other reviewers note that alternatives to the subscription-based Obsidian Sync are more difficult to use, and that other note-taking apps offer cross-device syncing for free.[17][7]
Obsidian has been criticized for its learning curve and unfriendliness to beginners. Reviewers argue that Markdown can be challenging for users who are unfamiliar with it[17]: 298 or desire advanced formatting.[7] Others highlight that features users want are only available as community plugins,[9] requiring time to understand and tailor it to one's needs.[17]: 298
See also
- Comparison of note-taking software – Comparison of computer software designed for taking notes
- Comparison of wiki software – Software to run a collaborative wiki compared
- Personal wiki
References
- ^ "Obsidian 1.11.7 Desktop (Public)". Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ Eastman, David (24 April 2022). "Obsidian and the Case for Using More Markdown". The New Stack. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d Myrick, Andrew (15 September 2021). "Obsidian is the best note-taking app that you've never heard of". Android Central. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Shah, Parth (29 July 2024). "5 reasons why you should learn Markdown for taking notes in Obsidian". XDA. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ "License Overview". Obsidian. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Download". Obsidian. Archived from the original on 29 November 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ionescu, Stefan (4 August 2022). "Obsidian". TechRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ a b Dix, Alan (25 June 2024). "The future of PIM: pragmatics and potential" (PDF). Human–Computer Interaction. Taylor & Francis: 1–20. doi:10.1080/07370024.2024.2356155. eISSN 1532-7051. ISSN 0737-0024. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Newman, Jared (13 October 2023). "The cult of Obsidian: Why people are obsessed with the note-taking app". Fast Company. ISSN 1085-9241. OCLC 33444063.
- ^ "Obsidian Release v0.0.1". Obsidian. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Obsidian Release v1.0.0". Obsidian. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Rudra, Sourav. "Notion-like Markdown Note-Taking App 'Obsidian' is Out of Beta". It's FOSS News. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Newton, Casey (18 August 2025). "Obsidian's CEO on why productivity tools need community more than AI". The Verge. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Pot, Justin (7 December 2025). "Obsidian Review". PCMag. Archived from the original on 22 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ a b c Pyne, Yvette; Stewart, Stuart (March 2022). "Meta-work: how we research is as important as what we research". British Journal of General Practice. 72 (716): 130–131. doi:10.3399/bjgp22X718757. eISSN 1478-5242. ISSN 0960-1643. OCLC 55135715. PMC 8884432. PMID 35210247.
- ^ Hastings, Robin (September 2022). "Linked data tools to help users create webs of personal knowledge". Computers in Libraries. 42 (7): 19–22.
However, there are some recent entries into the PKM space that might just fit the full bill. Both Obsidian and Roam, which will be discussed later, are relatively new applications that get us a little closer to that perfect PKM solution, and they add a new wrinkle. They are both conversant in linked data and can be used as networks of linked information that live on your computer or, with a few tweaks, on a shared server or other shareable drive.
- ^ a b c d e f g Walker, Michael (2022). Shaffer, David (ed.). More Than Words: Teaching for a Better World – Proceedings of the 29th Korea TESOL International Conference (PDF). Korea TESOL. pp. 293–304.
- ^ Pierce, David (29 March 2023). "My impossible search for the best, most powerful, most private journaling app ever". The Verge. OCLC 867048487. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Pot, Justin (28 November 2023). "How to Use Obsidian for Writing and Productivity". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ Krasnoff, Barbara (16 November 2023). "The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data". The Verge. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ "Graph view". Obsidian Help. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
