Notion vs Obsidian 2026: Price, Free Plan & Which to Choose
Notion vs Obsidian compared: free plans, prices, platforms and licenses from official pages checked October 22, 2026.
•2 min read•Notes & Knowledge
Verdict:Notion is a better fit for a shared workspace with structured pages and databases. Obsidian is a better starting point for personal notes stored as Markdown files on your own device. That storage and collaboration choice matters before the subscription price. Notion supports offline pages in its desktop and mobile apps, but not in a web browser. Its export tools produce Markdown, HTML or PDF, with databases exported as CSV. Obsidian uses open file formats locally; its optional Sync service can synchronize notes and support collaboration on shared files. Neither product is open source. Both have a free starting point. Notion's individual plan has a 5 MB file limit, 10 guests and 7-day history, while workspaces with multiple members face additional limits. Plus starts at $10 per member per month. Obsidian's core app is free for personal and commercial use; Sync starts at $4 per month billed annually or $5 monthly. Choose Notion when your team wants a shared browser-accessible workspace. Choose Obsidian when local files and a personal note collection come first. Joplin and Logseq below are separate options if an open-source license is a requirement.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | Free (unlimited pages and blocks for individuals but limited for workspaces of 2 or more members, 5 MB per file, 10 guests, 7-day page history); paid from $10 per member/month (Plus; check the pricing page for the billing term) | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Shared team workspaces | Docs only |
| Obsidian | Free (core app with no limits, including commercial use); paid from $4 per user/month, billed annually (Sync add-on; $5 billed monthly) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Personal notes, with syncing as a paid add-on | Docs only |
| Logseq | Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS | Notes | Docs only |
| Joplin | Free (open-source note app; Joplin Cloud is the paid sync option) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Terminal | Notes | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Notion vs Obsidian side by side
| Compared | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free; limited for workspaces of 2 or more members, with a 5 MB file limit, 10 guests and 7-day history | Core app is free with no limits, including commercial use |
| Paid from | $10 per member per month (Plus) | $4 per month billed annually for the Sync add-on ($5 monthly) |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Offline / local storage (Notion, Obsidian) | Pages work offline in the desktop and mobile apps, not in a web browser | Notes are Markdown files in a local folder (a vault) on your device |
| Data export (Notion, Obsidian) | Pages export as Markdown, HTML or PDF; databases export as CSV | Uses open file formats that you retain on your own device |
| Collaboration (Notion, Obsidian) | Members share one workspace; paid plans add collaborative blocks and unlimited guests | Obsidian Sync supports collaboration on shared files |
| Best for | Shared team workspaces | Personal notes, with syncing as a paid add-on |
Choose Notion if
- Your team wants shared pages and databases in one workspace.
- You need browser access and can use the desktop or mobile app for offline pages.
- You want guests to view shared pages and can check the free plan's 10 guest limit.
Choose Obsidian if
- You want your notes stored as Markdown files in a local folder.
- You primarily maintain personal notes and want the core app free for commercial use.
- You use Linux or want to evaluate the optional Sync service for shared files.
Free alternatives to consider
- Logseq: Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed). AGPL-3.0 (open source).
- Joplin: Free (open-source note app; Joplin Cloud is the paid sync option). AGPL-3.0-or-later (open source).
More options
Limits of this review
This is a dated documentation review. It does not measure performance, migration fidelity, security or support quality. Verify current regional availability, billing period and account limits before choosing.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Notion vs Obsidian uses the vendors' own pricing, license and platform pages, checked October 22, 2026. It is a documentation-based comparison, not hands-on testing.