Obsidian
A free, flexible markdown-based note-taking app that stores data locally for privacy and offline access. Features plugins, graph view, and cross-platform sync.
Obsidian is an open-source alternative to:
Obsidian
Obsidian is a powerful and extensible note-taking app that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files. It's designed to help you organize and connect your thoughts in a flexible, future-proof way.
Key Features
- Local-first storage: Notes are stored privately on your device, ensuring offline access and complete privacy
- Markdown-based editing: Write notes using simple, readable Markdown syntax
- Backlinking: Create connections between notes with
[[wikilinks]]to build your personal knowledge graph - Graph view: Visualize relationships between notes with an interactive graph
- Canvas: Infinite space for brainstorming, diagramming, and visual thinking
- Thousands of plugins: Customize functionality with community plugins and themes
- Cross-platform sync: Sync notes across devices with optional paid sync service
- Open file formats: Uses standard Markdown files, ensuring data portability
- Offline-first: Access all notes instantly without internet connection
- Multi-language support: Available in 15+ languages
Tech / Self-Hosting
Obsidian is a desktop-first application with mobile apps available. The core app is open source (MIT license) and can be self-hosted by downloading the release binaries from GitHub. While the official sync service is paid, the core functionality works entirely offline with local file storage. The app is built with Electron and uses standard Markdown files, making it highly portable across platforms.
Pricing: Free for core features, with optional paid services for sync, publish, and enterprise features.
Privacy: All notes are stored locally by default. The company has a strong privacy policy and doesn't access user data.
EU Friendly: Yes, GDPR compliant with data stored locally on user devices.