Notion vs Obsidian 2026: Honest Comparison

Overview

Notion and Obsidian represent two opposing philosophies in knowledge management. Notion is a cloud-based all-in-one workspace that combines notes, databases, projects, and wikis with a beautiful block-based editor and built-in collaboration. Obsidian is a local-first markdown note-taking app that stores files on your device, supports bidirectional links for building a knowledge graph, and offers extreme customization through community plugins. Notion is for teams and structured workflows; Obsidian is for individuals who want ownership and depth.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Notion	Obsidian	Winner
Data Storage	Cloud-based	Local files (markdown)	Obsidian
Collaboration	Real-time, excellent	Sync add-on ($10/mo)	Notion
Databases	Powerful inline databases	Dataview plugin (community)	Notion
Knowledge Graph	Basic backlinks	Visual graph view	Obsidian
Offline Access	Limited offline	Full offline, always	Obsidian
Customization	Templates and blocks	1,000+ community plugins	Obsidian
AI Features	Notion AI ($10/mo extra)	Community AI plugins	Notion
Price (Personal)	Free / $10/mo	Free (core app)	Obsidian

Pricing

Notion offers a free plan for personal use with unlimited pages. The Plus plan is $10/member/month with unlimited file uploads and guests. Notion AI is $10/member/month extra. Obsidian is completely free for personal use. Obsidian Sync (cross-device sync) is $10/month. Obsidian Publish (web publishing) is $10/month. Commercial use requires a $50/user/year license.

Obsidian is cheaper for individuals. Notion is cheaper for teams that need collaboration (since Obsidian Sync adds cost per device).

Pros and Cons

Notion Pros

• Best team collaboration with real-time editing
• Powerful databases for project management
• Beautiful, intuitive interface
• All-in-one workspace replaces multiple tools

Notion Cons

• Data stored in the cloud, no local files
• Can be slow with large workspaces
• Limited offline capabilities
• Vendor lock-in with proprietary format

Obsidian Pros

• Local-first with markdown files you own
• Knowledge graph with bidirectional links
• 1,000+ plugins for extreme customization
• Works offline and is blazing fast

Obsidian Cons

• No built-in collaboration
• Steeper learning curve
• Sync and publish cost extra
• No native databases (requires plugins)

Who Should Use Which?

Choose Notion if you need team collaboration, project management, and an all-in-one workspace. It is ideal for teams, startups, and organizations that want one platform for docs, wikis, databases, and project tracking. The collaboration features are unmatched.

Choose Obsidian if you value data ownership, speed, offline access, and deep note-linking. It is ideal for researchers, writers, students, and knowledge workers who want to build a personal knowledge base that they fully control. The plugin ecosystem is incredibly powerful.

Verdict

Notion is better for teams and structured workflows. Obsidian is better for individuals and personal knowledge management. There is no clear overall winner because they serve different needs. Many users actually use both: Notion for team projects and Obsidian for personal notes and research. Choose based on whether collaboration or ownership matters more to you.