Obsidian is a private, flexible note-taking app that stores notes locally as plain text Markdown files and adapts to the way you think.
What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a local-first note-taking application that saves notes as plain text Markdown files on your device. It takes simple Markdown notes as input and produces a richly linked knowledge base with an interactive graph view. The app is available on Linux (AppImage), macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, and is developed by Obsidian MD.
What makes Obsidian stand out?
- Links — Create bidirectional connections between any notes using double brackets, building a personal wiki with backlinks and unlinked mentions.
- Graph — Visualize all note connections as an interactive node graph, revealing hidden patterns and clusters.
- Canvas — An infinite whiteboard workspace for brainstorming, diagramming, and laying out ideas using embedded notes, images, and web content.
- Plugins — Thousands of community plugins (e.g., Calendar, Kanban, Dataview) via an open API, allowing deep customization of the editor and workflow.
- Sync — End-to-end encrypted sync across devices with selective file syncing (images, audio, video, PDFs) and one year of version history per note.
- Publish — Turn any vault into an online wiki or digital garden with custom domains, password protection, and SEO optimization, all editable from within the app.
Who is it for?
- Knowledge workers — Build a personal knowledge base by linking ideas, references, and projects.
- Researchers and academics — Organize literature notes, quotes, and citations with tags and links, visualized in the graph.
- Project managers — Manage tasks, kanban boards, and project plans using plugins like Tasks and Kanban.
- Writers and journalists — Draft articles, collect clippings, and maintain a daily journal with version history.
What can you do with Obsidian?
- Build a personal wiki — Link every note into a web of interconnected ideas, like a private Wikipedia for your thoughts.
- Manage projects — Use Canvas to brainstorm and diagram, sync with your team via shared encrypted vaults, and track tasks across notes.
- Publish a digital garden — Instantly publish selected notes as a live website with Obsidian Publish, complete with custom themes and domains.
Pricing
Obsidian is free to use with no limits on features or note count. Optional paid subscriptions are available for Obsidian Sync (end-to-end encrypted multi-device sync with version history) and Obsidian Publish (hosted digital garden with custom domain support).
FAQ
Is Obsidian free?
Yes, the core Obsidian app is completely free for personal and commercial use. There are no artificial limits on features, plugins, or note quantity.
What file format does Obsidian use?
Obsidian uses plain text Markdown files (.md) stored on your local device. This open format ensures you can always access your notes with any text editor and are never locked in.
Can I sync Obsidian across multiple devices?
Yes, you can use the optional Obsidian Sync service, which provides end-to-end encrypted sync with selective file syncing and one year of version history. Alternatively, you can sync manually using Dropbox, iCloud, or any other file syncing tool.
Does Obsidian support plugins?
Yes, Obsidian has a large community plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins covering calendars, kanban boards, advanced queries (Dataview), task management, and more. You can also create your own using the open API.
Can I publish my notes as a website?
Yes, with Obsidian Publish you can turn any vault into a fast, mobile-friendly website with custom domains, password protection, and SEO optimization, all without leaving the app.
Links from the original introduction are preserved: Obsidian and Canvas.
