Best Note Taking Apps · head-to-head
Notion vs Obsidian
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for note taking apps. Notion has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Price: Notion $0/mo vs Obsidian $0/mo — Notion is cheaper to start.
- Free tier: Notion Yes; Obsidian Yes.
- HIPAA: Notion Yes; Obsidian —.
Side by side
| Notion | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $0/mo (Free) | $0/mo (Free) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA) | Yes | — |
| SOC 2 | Yes | — |
| GDPR | Yes | — |
| Best for | All-in-one workspace teams | Privacy-focused knowledge workers |
Sources — Notion: notion.com (verified 2026-06-13). Obsidian: obsidian.md (verified 2026-06-13).
Key features
Notion: Flexible databases (tables, boards, calendars, galleries, timelines); Notion AI (doc generation, autofill, meeting notes); Notion Agent (Business+); Enterprise Search across workspace; SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning; Notion Calendar and Notion Mail; Customizable forms and public sites; API with 1000+ Zapier actions; Audit logs (Enterprise); Zero LLM data retention option (Enterprise)
Obsidian: Local-first Markdown files stored on device (no vendor lock-in); Bidirectional linking and graph view; Large community plugin ecosystem (1,000+ plugins); AES-256 end-to-end encrypted Sync; Web publishing via Obsidian Publish (custom domains, full-text search, graph); No account required for core app; Open format (plain .md files); Regular third-party security audits (Cure53, Trail of Bits); Canvas (infinite whiteboard); Daily notes and templates