Obsidian
A knowledge management and note-taking app with extensive customization options.
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A knowledge management and note-taking app with extensive customization options.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
(version 1.8.10 as of May, 2025)
Obsidian is a knowledge management tool built on top of a local folder of plain text markdown files. It is designed to make writing and organizing your thoughts, ideas, and projects easy, effectively turning your collection of notes into a connected web of knowledge. This tool is aimed at helping individuals manage their notes and organize their knowledge. Inspired by Niklas Luhman'sprinciple, It allows users to create a network of interconnected notes, facilitating complex research projects by visualizing connections through a graph view and backlinking. Obsidian is designed to be part of your routine digital workflow and, over time, become an extension of your memory and mental models.
The user interface is highly customizable, and the software is supported by a large community that can contribute to a core library of plugins. Obsidian supports different user groups' various individual needs, from academic research to personal note-taking to project management.
One of the standout features of Obsidian is its streamlined capability to create and navigate links between notes. Additionally, it allows for the easy integration of various document types, such as PDFs, voice memos, and images, into markdown pages using simple cut-and-paste techniques. A synergy of interconnected pages, tags, and organized folder structures forms a dynamic information network. This network is easy to explore and expand and can be visualized as a comprehensive web of interconnected knowledge nodes.
Although mastering markdown editing in Obsidian may initially challenge new users, the learning curve is manageable, and the basics of the software are straightforward to grasp. As users become more proficient in using advanced markdown features, program functionalities can be seamlessly integrated, enhancing Obsidian's interface and user experience to reflect individual preferences and needs.
The tool also supports advanced Markdown editing, customizable themes, and community-developed plugins that extend its functionality further.
Speed and Performance: Obsidian's use of markdown provides fast performance, especially when typing, searching, and navigating through links, which is crucial for efficiently handling large volumes of information.
Link Creation: The app facilitates the creation of new documents and links between them through intuitive commands (like double brackets), making it particularly suited to organizing and connecting thoughts and knowledge.
Customization and Control: Users can customize the interface and control settings, such as font size, across different devices, enhancing readability and user experience.
Back-Linking Visibility: Obsidian automatically displays back-linked files in documents, offering a way to navigate and understand the relationships between notes without additional clicks.
Command Palette Accessibility: The application provides multiple ways to access commands quickly, which can simplify the workflow and increase productivity.
Graph View: Though its practical utility may vary, the graph view in Obsidian has potential, especially for visualizing and discovering new connections between thoughts.
Advanced Plugin Capabilities: With plugins like DataView, users who enjoy deep customization can manipulate data and view connections uniquely, although this requires familiarity with YAML and programming-like languages.
Research Organization: It enables the consolidation of research notes, sources, and data all in one place, making it easier to manage and navigate through extensive information.
Story Development: Journalists can organize their story or article outlines, connecting different pieces of research and notes to flesh out their texts.
Interview Management: Keeping track of interview notes is simplified, as each interview can be linked to topics, stories, or other interviews, creating a web of information that is easy to reference.
Archiving: The platform enables journalists to archive their stories, notes, and sources in a searchable, interconnected format, facilitating easy retrieval and future reuse of information.
Collaboration: Though primarily designed for personal use, Obsidian's ability to work with local Markdown files means journalists can use third-party tools to sync and collaborate on files with colleagues. Markdown files are inherently safe.
Personal use: free.
Commercial use: Obsidian offers licenses at $50 per user per year.
Sync across devices: This service enables end-to-end encrypted synchronization across devices. The standard plan is priced at $5 per month or $48 per year, while the Plus plan is available at $10 or $96 per year.
Publish to the cloud: Obsidian Publish is available at $8 USD per site per month when billed annually or $10 USD per site per month with monthly billing.
For students, faculty members, and nonprofit employees, Obsidian offers a 40% discount on add-on services, including Obsidian Publish.
There are no specific requirements, but additional features require setting up plugins or purchasing optional services.
Obsidian is available on the following platforms:
MacOS
Windows
Linux
iOS
Android
While Obsidian is a powerful note-taking and knowledge-base application, its focus on being a text-based editor comes with a few disadvantages:
Learning Curve: At first glance, Obsidian's interface might appear plain due to its subtle integration of advanced customization options and markdown features. However, while mastering all available functions only comes with regular use, initial non-use of advanced functions does not compromise the software's effectiveness as a robust note-taking tool. That being said, users uncomfortable with markdown language might prefer a less powerful app.
Limited External Integration: Out of the box, Obsidian's native integration with external services such as Google Calendar is not extensive. However, a wide range of functionalities can be achieved using plugins.
Third-party plugins: Advanced functionalities heavily rely on third-party plugins, posing potential security risks.
While Obsidian as a tool focuses on enhancing personal and professional productivity through effective note-taking and knowledge management, it carries its own set of ethical considerations:
Data Privacy: Given its offline-first approach, users have significant control over their data. However, users must be vigilant about exporting or sharing their notes through external services, which may not uphold the same privacy standards.
Plugin Security: The capacity to extend Obsidian's functionality with plugins is powerful but also introduces the need to trust third-party developers. Users must exercise caution, ensuring they install reputable plugins to avoid potential security risks.
Accessibility: Although Obsidian offers a wide range of features, its learning curve and interface may pose accessibility challenges for users who are not tech-savvy or have disabilities.
Sustainability of the Free Model: While Obsidian’s core functions are free, the long-term sustainability of such a model depends on a sufficient number of users opting for paid features.
Longevity and Exportability: Ensuring long-term accessibility of data is important; reliance on proprietary plugins may pose challenges.
Collaboration Equity: Obsidian is conceptualized as a personal note-taking tool. While there are available plugins and workarounds, the limited real-time collaboration functionality makes it less than ideal for collaborative settings, especially in educational or low-income environments.
Collaboration Ethics: Respect for collaborators’ contributions and transparent changes in shared documents is crucial.
To effectively use Obsidian, especially for beginners or those looking to refine their skills, the following resources are highly recommended:
Official Wiki
Tutorials and Articles
A Guide to Obsidian: Local, Markdown-Powered Networked Notes — SitePoint (2021). Available at: https://www.sitepoint.com/obsidian-beginner-guide/, https://www.sitepoint.com/obsidian-beginner-guide/ (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
Video Tutorials
Community and Support
Martin Sona
Not collaboration-friendly: Obsidian is primarily designed for personal use and offers limited built-in collaboration features. While its premium sync service allows device synchronization, it is not optimized for real-time collaborative work, unlike cloud-based alternatives. Users can still collaborate by using third-party tools to sync local Markdown files, which are inherently safe for sharing. For more details on Obsidian's sync service, refer to the .
No Built-in Publish Feature: Obsidian requires a paid service called Obsidian Publish to publish notes online. This service allows users to create simple websites with select pages, which can be secured with passwords. This limitation might be significant for users needing to share their work online without relying on third-party services. For more information, visit the page.
While Obsidian is highly customizable and feature-rich, it is not open-source. This means that its source code is not publicly available for review or modification, which could be a consideration for users concerned about transparency, security, and data privacy. For those who prefer open-source solutions, is an alternative that offers similar capabilities with full transparency.
: Obsidian Help site.
Tietze, C. (2024) ‘Uncommon OSINT: Obsidian, Semantic Meaning and NLP’, Medium, 13 April. Available at: (Accessed: 23 April 2024).
Obsidian for Beginners: Start HERE — How to Use the Obsidian App for Notes (2020). Available at: (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
Obsidian Note Taking Tutorial for Beginners - Start HERE (w/ example) (2021). Available at: (Accessed: 12 April 2024).
: help and support.
: community and support.
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