Creating notes is essentially putting thoughts into words, but since everyone thinks differently, note-taking apps must be flexible. Obsidian (named after the volcanic glass that forms when lava cools rapidly) is one of the most adaptable options we've tested, as it offers several ways to organize your notes, provides deep customization options, and supports numerous plug-ins and themes. We also like that it's free for both personal and professional use (with an option to support the developers). Just keep in mind that you will need to spend a decent amount of time learning how to tailor it to your specific needs, and that it isn't a collaborative tool. Obsidian is definitely worth checking out, but the more approachable Joplin and the feature-packed Microsoft OneNote remain our Editors' Choice winners for the category.

Pricing: Free, With a Few Paid Add-Ons

Obsidian is free for both personal and commercial use. If you use it as an individual, you can pay a one-time fee of $25 for early access to beta versions. Obsidian encourages, but does not require, commercial customers to pay $50 per person per year as a means of supporting development. The free version saves your notes locally (meaning the only limit is the size of your hard drive) and doesn't provide syncing, but you can still sync your notes manually via a cloud storage service.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

You can expand Obsidian's capabilities with a few extra services. The Sync service ($5 per person per month) encrypts and then syncs your notes across all your devices, while the Publish service ($10 per person per month) allows you to quickly publish and share notes online.

For comparison, Microsoft OneNote is also fully free to use; it saves files only to OneDrive, which comes with 5GB of storage included with a free Microsoft 365 account. Paid Microsoft 365 subscriptions unlock more storage. Paying $99.99 per year, for example, gets you 1TB of storage and desktop-based versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word. That's less than paying for both Obsidian's Sync and Publish services. Joplin offers unlimited local storage similar to Obsidian. Evernote has an extremely limited free version, which can store only 50 notes. Paid plans start at $14.99 per month, expensive enough to cover the cost of Obsidian’s Sync and Publish features.

Obsidian's free version is a great deal if you intend to work primarily on a single device and sync files manually, but OneNote is the better option if you want seamless note syncing at no cost.

Getting Started: Supports Every Major Platform

Obsidian offers desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux. There are no official system requirements for Obsidian, but a company representative told me they should be similar to Chrome's system requirements, as Obsidian is built on similar software (specifically Electron, if you care about such details). Through this, you can deduce that Obsidian should run on Windows 10 and later, macOS 12 (Monterey) and later, and Linux distributions including Ubuntu 18.04, Debian 10, and openSUSE 15.5 and later. Obsidian offers mobile apps for Android (version 5.1 and above) and iOS (version 14.5 and above).

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

You don't need an account or a credit card to start using Obsidian. Just download the application. Next, you create a new Vault, which is really just a folder on your device. After creating your Vault, you can start writing notes, which are just text documents. You can drag and drop attachments, and even embed videos and PDFs.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

Formatting: Markdown or Nothing

Obsidian relies on Markdown language for formatting. It's a lightweight set of codes for changing text and an alternative to the rich-text formatting options in most word processors. If you've ever typed asterisks around a word to make it bold, that's Markdown. Markdown is commonly used in messaging apps as well as writing apps. If you're unfamiliar with Markdown, it might take some time to adjust.

I've been using Markdown for all my writing since around 2011, and I love how it reduces frustrating formatting issues. However, some see Markdown as unintuitive and therefore frustrating. Nothing about Obsidian will help you overcome your aversion to Markdown if you are in that group. By default, Obsidian supports standard keyboard shortcuts and visually formats the text for you as you type, which helps at least somewhat.

Organizing Notes: Plenty of Options

Obsidian offers several ways to organize your notes. A panel on the left shows your files and folders. You can also navigate and organize your Vault using macOS's Finder, Windows' File Explorer, or any other file browser you prefer. The Obsidian app reflects any changes you make in real time. But the real magic comes from links.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

Type two square brackets and a few letters inside them, and Obsidian drops down a list of any notes that match what you typed. You can then select a note to link it to the one you're currently editing. Or you can type something entirely new to create a new linked note. Clicking the resulting link opens the new note. The idea is that you can connect ideas to each other and, over time, create a network of documents. It’s like a personal wiki. You can even view a graph of your entire Vault that shows how all your notes interconnect. Depending on your perspective, this network-style setup might either seem like a gimmick or an interesting way to explore how your ideas relate to one another.

Obsidian also lets you sort your notes alphabetically, by creation date, and by update date. You can add tags to notes by putting a hash (#) before any word you want to become a tag. You can even view multiple notes at a time in a split window.

A built-in quick switcher (use the Ctrl/Cmd-O keyboard shortcut) allows you to jump to any note in just a few keystrokes. A command palette, which is available in the sidebar or accessible by the Ctrl/Cmd-P keyboard shortcut, lets you run hundreds of commands—everything from following the link under your cursor to renaming the current file. It’s like a complete command line for your documents, but with a search function. Other note-taking apps are increasingly adopting similar features.

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What's great about Obsidian is that you don't have to use all its features if you don't want to. Alternatively, if these options aren't enough, you can add even more functionality via extensions.

Working With Notes: Text Documents All the Way Down

An Obsidian Vault is literally just a folder full of text documents, meaning you can browse and even edit your documents without using Obsidian at all. The ".md" file extension, which all notes use, refers to Markdown. Any text or Markdown editor can open this file type. All changes you make with another editor show up in Obsidian immediately. This means your Vault won't become unreadable in the future even if Obsidian ceases to exist. It also means that migrating your notes to any other note-taking app should be relatively easy. Most note-taking apps offer some kind of export feature, granted, but with Obsidian, you don't need one. Everything is already in an open format, which should give you peace of mind.

Over the years, Obsidian has pushed the plain text format to the limit. One feature, called Bases, lets you turn your notes into a database. It’s exactly as customizable as it sounds, allowing you to do things like create dynamic tables or even maps. If that sounds useful, you can use it; otherwise, you can disregard it.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

Another advantage of this setup, as mentioned, is that you can store and sync your Obsidian Vault using any cloud storage service, instead of paying for the Sync service.

Extensions: Thousands of Choices

One of Obsidian's greatest strengths is its plug-in ecosystem. As of this writing, nearly 2,700 plug-ins are available, which can be found in the settings or on Obsidian's website.

Plug-ins add all kinds of functionality. A Kanban extension turns a simple text document into a complete Trello alternative. Another adds a calendar, perfect for creating a journal of notes. Some plug-ins add mind-mapping or task management capabilities. Still others give you the ability to embed tweets and YouTube videos.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

I could spend all day listing plug-ins and discussing the themes that enable you to customize Obsidian's appearance. If you can imagine some functionality that a note-taking app should have, odds are you can add it. No other note-taking app we've tested offers this level of flexibility.

Web Clipper: Works Great

Obsidian offers an excellent web clipper for all major browsers. It creates a markdown version of whatever site you have open and offers to save it to any folder in any of your vaults. The web clipper also saves information about the article, including the date you clipped it, the source URL, and the author.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

A highlighter tool allows you to mark specific things you want to export, which is a great way to collect only the most relevant details from a site. Meanwhile, the importer feature can grab existing notes from other apps, most notably Apple Notes and OneNote; I'm not aware of any other note-taking app that can do the same.

Mobile Apps: Successful Replications of the Desktop Apps

Obsidian's mobile apps are unique in that they're not just simplified versions of the desktop app. Instead, every feature available in the desktop version is here, including complete support for plug-ins. I tested Obsidian on an Android phone and an iPad—the functionality is similar.

(Credit: Obsidian/PCMag)

You can drag down from the top bar to trigger the command palette and format text using Markdown by using the toolbar above your keyboard. That toolbar, by the way, is entirely customizable, allowing you to apply your favorite formatting options and other tools while you edit text. The mobile apps don't make any compromises, which is impressive.

Missing Features: No Way to Collaborate

Obsidian lacks a few features available in alternatives. For one, it doesn't support collaboration whatsoever. It's meant for a single user and runs locally on your device, rather than in the cloud. If you need to work with others, consider Evernote or OneNote instead. Obsidian also can't recognize handwriting or scan files like those two apps. It's possible to use third-party software for scanning, and multiple OCR plug-ins are available; however, others make this process even more seamless.

Another deal-breaker for some might be the absence of a web app, though workarounds are available. Apple users can sync their instance using iCloud, for example, which allows them to open text files using the online version of Pages via iCloud.com. Android users can explore solutions like Resilio Sync or the open-source Syncthing. It's messy, but these solutions provide a great deal of flexibility.