Notion vs Obsidian
The 80/20 verdict.
Both tools have a place in the ecosystem. See the table below for the side-by-side, and visit each tool's detail page for the full 80/20 verdict.
| Notion | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, and lightweight project tracking. | Local-first Markdown knowledge base with bidirectional linking and a plugin ecosystem. |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starts at | $10/mo | $50/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| 80/20 verdict | core | core |
| Best for | solo founders, small teams, knowledge workers who write a lot | solo researchers and writers managing years of notes, privacy-conscious knowledge workers who need offline access, developers comfortable with Markdown and plugins |
Notion
All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, and lightweight project tracking.
Visit Notion
Affiliate link — see how we evaluate.
Obsidian
Local-first Markdown knowledge base with bidirectional linking and a plugin ecosystem.
Visit Obsidian
Affiliate link — see how we evaluate.