EDIBLOG · DEVTOOLS · NOTE-APP COMPARISON
Obsidian vs Notion: They’re Not the Same Tool
Both are ‘note apps.’ But the essence is different. Notion is a collaborative database, Obsidian is a personal knowledge graph. Where your markdown files live — that’s where everything diverges.
01 · ESSENCEOne is a DB, the other is files
Comparing these two on the same line keeps going sideways. Notion was built from day one as “a database teams use together,” while Obsidian is “a graph view layered on top of a markdown folder on your disk.” Where your data lives drives almost every difference.
Edit unit Block
Strength Team collab · DB
different tools
Edit unit .md file
Strength Personal PKM · Backlinks
02 · PRICINGThe solo cost gap is significant
For personal use, Obsidian is free, while Notion has a free-tier limit. The moment you need collaboration · DB features together, you’re on Notion Plus ($10/user/month). “Same price” comparisons miss the starting point.
Personal only · Forever free
For personal use, Obsidian is fully free — app, plugins, and themes all included. You only pay for add-ons like cross-device Sync or web Publish.
03 · FOUR KEY METRICSFour numbers tell the whole story
Pricing · storage location · extensibility · collaboration — the four metrics that most often split note-tool decisions. Just figure out which metric matters most in your workflow and the choice almost makes itself.
Monthly cost
Location
Count
Collaboration
04 · FIT — NOTIONNotion is the answer if…
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You need real-time edits on the same page with your team
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You need DB · Kanban · Calendar inside the doc
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Web sharing · publishing is your default workflow
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You write and review often from mobile
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You want to grab from the template marketplace
05 · FIT — OBSIDIANObsidian is the answer if…
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Your notes need to outlive the next 10 years
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You want backlinks · graph to connect knowledge
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Local-first — you avoid cloud dependence
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You write text only; heavy media lives elsewhere
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You customize your workflow with plugins
06 · DECIDEDecide it in one line
Even if these two look similar, migration isn’t simple. One thing to flag before you move:
“I moved from Notion to Obsidian and all my DBs broke.”
Cause: Notion’s DB · relational properties don’t map 1:1 to markdown. Plain notes move over fine, but pages where relation · rollup · formula are the core have to be rebuilt with Obsidian’s Dataview plugin to behave equivalently. Sorting out “does this page actually need DB features?” before migrating cuts the cost dramatically.
The decision rule fits in five lines.
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Team views it together → Notion
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Solo, archive forever → Obsidian
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Frequent web publishing · external sharing → Notion
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You want to link and connect concepts → Obsidian
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Using both is also valid → Split roles
“Choosing a note tool isn’t a feature comparison. It’s choosing who holds your data.”
— ediblog · Devtools Daily
These two are safest treated as role split, not competitors. Sharing on Notion, lifelong archive on Obsidian.
Obsidian Home — Free for personal use Obsidian Pricing — Sync · Publish add-ons Community Plugins Marketplace
Disclaimer: Pricing · feature info as of 2026-05 official pages. No ads · no affiliates.
This post is part of an English mirror of a Korean dev experiments blog. Cross-posted for the global developer audience.