Obsidian Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Obsidian alternatives: Logseq, Joplin, AFFiNE, AppFlowy and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•4 min read•Notes & Knowledge
Verdict:Obsidian's core app is free with no limits, including commercial use, and your notes stay on disk as plain files. Leave it for a reason the free tier does not fix. Usually that means you want open source, you need a shared space for a small team, or you need sync without paying $4 a month billed annually. Logseq is the outliner choice: free, AGPL-3.0, and built around nested bullets rather than long documents. Joplin is free and open source too, and it can sync through Dropbox or OneDrive, so Joplin Cloud is optional. AFFiNE is MIT-licensed, and its Cloud Basic plan covers up to three members with 10 GB. AppFlowy has an open-source core, but its free personal plan caps storage at 100 MB, so it works for small workspaces better than for a large archive. Notion is the one to avoid if you want local files, because it is closed source and runs in the cloud. Stay with Obsidian if you write alone and your notes fit in one vault.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logseq | Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS | Outline-first note taking | Docs only |
| Joplin | Free (open-source note app; Joplin Cloud is the paid sync option) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Terminal | Syncing through a cloud drive you already pay for | Docs only |
| AFFiNE | Free (local workspaces; Cloud Basic has 10 GB of storage, up to 3 members and 10 MB files); paid from $6.75 per month (Pro; the page does not name the billing term) | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted | Small teams sharing pages | Docs only |
| AppFlowy | Free (Personal plan with 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history); paid from $12 per member/month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly, Pro) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted | Open-source workspaces with team plans | Docs only |
| 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 | Team docs and databases | Docs only |
| OneNote | Free (Microsoft's OneNote web page is titled 'Take notes anywhere for free'; storage limits are not stated on the page) | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Notes | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want an open-source notes app built around an outliner (Logseq is the pick)
- You want sync through a drive you already pay for (Joplin is the pick)
- A small team needs shared pages on a free tier (AFFiNE is the pick)
- You need team databases and an online editor (Notion is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Obsidian features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Obsidian today: Free (core app with no limits, including commercial use); paid from $4 per user/month, billed annually (Sync add-on; $5 billed monthly) (Obsidian pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for Obsidian alternatives
The Obsidian app is described as free without limits, but sync and publishing are separate paid add-ons: Sync is $4 per user per month billed annually ($5 monthly) and Publish is $8 per site per month annually ($10 monthly). A commercial license is listed at $50 per user per year. Using notes across devices therefore means either paying for Sync or setting up your own syncing.
Quick picks by need
| Need | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| obsidian alternative with sync | Joplin | Joplin syncs notes through Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive and other services with end-to-end encryption, so a drive you already pay for can stand in for Obsidian Sync at $4 per user per month billed annually. |
| obsidian alternative open source | Logseq | Logseq is AGPL-3.0 open source and lists no paid plan. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, the web and iOS, with the Android app for its database version still marked as coming soon. |
| obsidian alternative for teams | AFFiNE | AFFiNE is MIT-licensed and offers local workspaces, and its Cloud Basic plan includes 10 GB of storage and up to 3 members. Pro starts at $6.75 a month, and a self-hosted option is listed. |
| obsidian alternative self hosted | AppFlowy | AppFlowy is AGPL-3.0 open source and lists a self-hosted option. Check the free personal plan first: 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history. |
| obsidian alternative with web app | Notion | Notion runs in the browser as well as on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. It is proprietary, and workspaces with 2 or more members hit free-plan limits before Plus at $10 per member a month. |
Logseq
Compared with Obsidian: Free and open source under AGPL-3.0 with no paid tier listed. You trade Obsidian's file-based notes for an outliner, and the mobile app for the database version is still iOS only, with Android coming soon.
Price: Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed) (Logseq pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS. AGPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 45.4k GitHub stars · latest release 2.0.2 (Oct 7, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Outline-first note taking.
Joplin
Compared with Obsidian: Free and open source under AGPL-3.0-or-later. Sync can run through Dropbox or OneDrive, so you can skip Joplin Cloud, while Obsidian Sync costs $4 a month billed annually.
Price: Free (open-source note app; Joplin Cloud is the paid sync option) (Joplin pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Terminal. AGPL-3.0-or-later (open source).
Project activity: 56.9k GitHub stars · latest release v3.7.21 (Sep 25, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Syncing through a cloud drive you already pay for.
AFFiNE
Compared with Obsidian: MIT-licensed with free local workspaces. Cloud Basic includes 10 GB and up to 3 members, and Pro starts at $6.75 a month. It suits a small group that needs shared pages, which Obsidian's single-user vault does not provide.
Price: Free (local workspaces; Cloud Basic has 10 GB of storage, up to 3 members and 10 MB files); paid from $6.75 per month (Pro; the page does not name the billing term) (AFFiNE pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 73.9k GitHub stars · latest release v0.27.4 (Aug 18, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Small teams sharing pages.
AppFlowy
Compared with Obsidian: AGPL-3.0 open source with a free personal plan: 100 MB storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history. Pro is $12 per member a month billed annually, while Obsidian's core app has no storage cap.
Price: Free (Personal plan with 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history); paid from $12 per member/month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly, Pro) (AppFlowy pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 77.8k GitHub stars · latest release 0.14.11 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Open-source workspaces with team plans.
Notion
Compared with Obsidian: Free for individuals with unlimited pages, but workspaces with two or more members are limited on the free plan, and Plus is $10 per member a month. It is closed source, and your notes live in Notion's cloud rather than as files on your disk.
Price: 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) (Notion pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Team docs and databases.
Other popular options (paid)
OneNote
Compared with Obsidian: Microsoft's page markets it as free note-taking anywhere and states no storage limit, so there is no sync fee like Obsidian Sync at $4 per user per month. You trade Obsidian's local vault and plugins for a Microsoft-hosted notebook.
Price: Free (Microsoft's OneNote web page is titled 'Take notes anywhere for free'; storage limits are not stated on the page) (OneNote pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Which one to pick
- You want an open-source notes app built around an outliner: Logseq
- You want sync through a drive you already pay for: Joplin
- A small team needs shared pages on a free tier: AFFiNE
- You need team databases and an online editor: Notion
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Logseq, Joplin, AFFiNE, AppFlowy, Notion: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Obsidian. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
FAQ
Is there a free open source Obsidian alternative with sync?
Joplin is AGPL-3.0-or-later open source and syncs through Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive and other services with end-to-end encryption, so you can avoid a sync subscription if you already use a cloud drive. Obsidian's own Sync add-on costs $4 per user per month billed annually.
What is a good self-hosted Obsidian alternative?
AppFlowy and AFFiNE both list a self-hosted option. AppFlowy is AGPL-3.0, while AFFiNE is MIT-licensed and also offers local workspaces. Check the AppFlowy free plan first, which lists 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history.
Which Obsidian alternative works on Android?
Joplin, AppFlowy and Notion list Android apps. Logseq's mobile app for the database version is on iOS for now, with Android marked as coming soon. AFFiNE lists web, Windows, macOS, Linux and self-hosted options but no Android app.
Related guides
More in Notes & Knowledge
All Notes & Knowledge alternatives →Sources
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
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Obsidian, Logseq, Joplin, AFFiNE, AppFlowy, Notion, OneNote. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.