Obsidian

Obsidian is a notes app that keeps everything as plain text files (Markdown) in a folder on your own computer. Nothing lives on Obsidian's servers unless you choose to sync. You link notes together like a personal wiki, see the connections in a graph, sketch ideas on a Canvas board, and save web pages with the Web Clipper. The app is free for everyone, including businesses.

Obsidian has no AI of its own. The AI comes from community plugins, like ones that let you chat with your notes using Claude or ChatGPT. The bigger reason Claude users love it: because your notes are just files in a folder, you can open that folder in Claude Code and ask it to search, summarise, tidy or write notes directly. Obsidian also has a command-line tool (CLI) for scripting it.

The catch: it takes some setting up, and you choose which plugins to trust. AI plugins usually need your own API key, which you pay for separately. Syncing between your phone and computer is a paid add-on unless you set up your own sync, and real-time team collaboration is far weaker than Notion's.

• Writers
• Researchers
• Founders
• Developers
• Students

People who want private notes they own, and Claude Code users who want a knowledge base Claude can read and write.

• Plain files you own

  Notes are Markdown files in a folder on your device, readable by any app, including Claude Code.

• Linked notes and graph

  Link notes with double brackets and see how your ideas connect in a graph view.

• Community plugins

  Thousands of free plugins, including AI chat, task lists, calendars and templates.

• Canvas

  An endless board for laying out notes, images and ideas visually.

• Web Clipper

  Save articles and web pages into your notes from the browser.

• Sync and Publish

  Optional paid services for encrypted syncing across devices and putting notes on the web.

• Our pick

  Obsidian

  Free

  Everyone, including work use.

  • All app features on desktop and mobile
  • Unlimited notes and plugins
  • No sign-up needed

• Sync

  $4/user/mo billed yearly ($5 monthly)

  Keeping notes the same on phone and computer.

  • End-to-end encrypted sync
  • Version history
  • Shared vaults

• Publish

  $8/site/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly)

  Turning notes into a public website or wiki.

  • Publish notes to the web
  • Custom themes
  • Graph and full-text search for readers

• Commercial licence

  $50/user/yr (optional)

  Businesses that want to support development.

  • Not required for work use
  • Listed as a supporting organisation

Prices in USD unless noted, checked 3 November 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.

Ways Obsidian can slot into your week.

1. 1

   Give Claude Code a memory

   Keep client notes, SOPs and ideas in Obsidian, then ask Claude Code "summarise everything about the Smith account" from that folder.

2. 2

   Build a second brain

   Save meeting notes, articles and ideas, and link them so related thinking is easy to find.

3. 3

   Write long-form content

   Draft blog posts and scripts as linked notes, then pull them together.

4. 4

   Chat with your notes

   Install an AI plugin with your own API key and ask questions across your whole vault.

Obsidian is a private knowledge base that sits beside Claude Code. Many people keep notes in Obsidian and team docs in Notion or Google Docs, and use the Web Clipper to save research from the browser.

The closest alternatives to Obsidian in the library, best rated first.

• 

  Calendly

  4.5

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• 

  Linear

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• 

  Granola

  4.4

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• 

  Wispr Flow

  4.4

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