Obsidian vs Notion: Local Files or a Cloud Workspace (2026)
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Pick Obsidian if you want your notes as plain Markdown files on your own device, a free app that works fully offline, and the freedom to choose your own sync and AI. Pick Notion if you want a shared cloud workspace with databases, real-time teamwork, a web app and AI built in. Both are good tools; they are built on different ideas about where your notes live.
This guide compares them on storage, offline use, price, sync, AI and moving your notes. We make SystemSculpt, an AI plugin for Obsidian, so we say where it fits. Every price and limit comes from Obsidian's and Notion's own pricing and help pages, linked at the end.
Checked on November 2, 2026. Prices are in US dollars.
Obsidian and Notion side by side
| Obsidian | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Markdown files in a folder on your device | Notion's cloud |
| Offline | Everything, always | Pages you mark for offline in the desktop and mobile apps |
| Free plan | The full app, no account needed | Free plan; uploads up to 5 MB, 7 days of page history |
| Paid plans | Sync from $4 a month, Publish from $8 a month (both billed yearly) | Plus $10, Business $20 per member a month billed yearly; $12 and $24 billed monthly |
| Sync between devices | Obsidian Sync, or your own iCloud, OneDrive, Syncthing or Git | Built in, through your Notion account |
| Teamwork | Shared vaults through Obsidian Sync | Real-time editing, comments, permissions and guests |
| Databases | Bases, a core plugin over your notes' properties | Databases with many views, a core feature |
| Built-in AI | None; add it with community plugins | Notion AI on Business and Enterprise; a limited trial on Free and Plus |
| Apps | Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android | Web, desktop and mobile apps |
| Import from the other | Obsidian's Importer plugin, with databases | Notion's Markdown and ZIP import |
Local files or a cloud workspace
This is the biggest difference, and most of the others follow from it.
Obsidian keeps every note as a Markdown (.md) file in an ordinary folder, which it calls a vault. You can open those files in any text editor, back them up like any other folder, and keep them if you ever stop using Obsidian. The app needs no account. Obsidian is free, though it is not open source.
Notion keeps your pages in its cloud. That is what makes its strengths possible: you can open the same workspace in a browser on any computer, edit a page with teammates at the same time, and share a page with one link. You can export your pages as Markdown, HTML or CSV, but Notion's help page notes that you can't instantly rebuild a workspace from an export.
Offline use
Obsidian works offline by default, because your notes are already files on your device. Sync catches up when you reconnect.
Notion lets everyone view, edit and create pages offline in its desktop and mobile apps. You turn on "Available offline" for each page you need, and on some paid plans your recent and favorite pages download by themselves. Offline access is per device. For a database, the first 50 rows download, and embeds, forms and buttons need a connection. Your edits sync when you're back online.
Price
Obsidian is free for personal and work use with no feature limits. A commercial license, $50 per user a year, is optional. You pay only for the services you choose:
- Sync Standard: $4 a month billed yearly or $5 monthly, for 1 vault, 1 GB and a month of version history.
- Sync Plus: $8 a month billed yearly or $10 monthly, for 10 vaults, 10 GB (up to 100 GB) and 12 months of history.
- Publish: $8 a month per site billed yearly, or $10 monthly, to put notes on the web.
Students, teachers and nonprofit staff get 40% off Sync and Publish.
Notion prices per member, and you save up to 20% by paying yearly:
- Free: $0. One person can add as many pages as they like; workspaces with 2 or more members have a block limit.
- Plus: $10 a month billed yearly, or $12 monthly. Free for students and educators.
- Business: $20 a month billed yearly, or $24 monthly. This plan includes Notion AI.
- Enterprise: custom pricing.
For one person who wants sync and AI, the cheapest paths are Obsidian with Sync Standard ($48 a year) plus whatever AI you add, or Notion Business ($240 a year) with AI included.
Sync between devices
Notion syncs by itself. Sign in on any device and your workspace is there.
Obsidian gives you a choice. Obsidian Sync is the official option on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and Android, with end-to-end encryption and version history. You can also sync the vault folder yourself: Obsidian's help names iCloud for Apple devices, OneDrive, Google Drive, Syncthing and Git, each with its own platform caveats. It warns against syncing one vault with two services at once.
AI options
Notion AI is built into the workspace. Its help page says it is available on Business and Enterprise, and Free and Plus users get a limited number of free AI responses to try it. On Business you get Notion Agent for multi-step tasks, AI meeting notes and Enterprise Search, and you can switch between AI models. Custom agents run on Notion credits, $10 per 1,000 a month. Notion's pricing page lists 30-day retention with its model providers, and zero retention on Enterprise.
Obsidian has no AI of its own. You add it with community plugins, which means you choose which AI reads your notes and what it costs. Some options:
- SystemSculpt (ours): chat with your own Claude Code or Codex inside Obsidian on desktop, free and with no SystemSculpt account. Hosted AI for audio transcription, related-note search, document processing and mobile chat costs credits.
- Copilot for Obsidian: a community plugin that works with your own AI subscription, API key or a local model.
- Smart Connections: shows related notes while you write, using a built-in local model.
See the best Obsidian AI plugins for a fuller comparison. Whichever you pick, notes you send to an AI go to that AI's provider, the same as with Notion AI.
Moving your notes
Notion to Obsidian: Obsidian's official Importer plugin has two routes. The Notion API route keeps your databases and formulas, turning each database into an Obsidian Base; you create a Notion connection with an access token and share the pages you want with it. The file route uses a whole-workspace HTML export and works offline, but drops databases. Obsidian recommends HTML over Notion's Markdown export.
Obsidian to Notion: Notion imports Markdown files one by one or in a ZIP, so you can zip your vault folder and import it.
Who should pick which
Pick Obsidian if you:
- want notes as plain files you own and can open with any app
- work offline often, or don't want an account to reach your notes
- write and link many notes and want them to grow over years
- want to choose your own sync and your own AI, or pay nothing at all
Pick Notion if you:
- work with a team that edits the same pages at the same time
- run projects, trackers and wikis that rely on databases and views
- need your notes in a browser on any computer
- want AI built in, with no plugins to set up
Many people use both: Notion for shared team work and Obsidian for their own notes.
Add AI to Obsidian for free
If you choose Obsidian and already use Claude Code or Codex, install the free SystemSculpt plugin from Obsidian's community plugins. It runs your signed-in Claude Code or Codex in a chat pane in your vault on desktop, and can ask for your approval before each edit. Chats are saved as Markdown notes in your vault. It needs no SystemSculpt account or plan.
For mobile chat, audio transcription and related-note search, eligible new accounts can claim 500 one-time starter credits with no card. Paid plans are $9 a month or $90 a year. Compare plans.
Common questions
Is Obsidian free? Yes. The app is free for personal and work use, with no account. Sync and Publish are optional paid services.
Does Notion work offline? Yes, in the desktop and mobile apps, for pages you mark as available offline. Edits sync when you reconnect.
Can I move from Notion to Obsidian without losing databases? Mostly. Obsidian's Importer, using a Notion access token, turns databases into Bases and keeps formulas. Only each database's main view comes across, and a few formula functions don't convert.
Does Obsidian have AI like Notion AI? Not built in. You add AI with community plugins such as SystemSculpt, Copilot for Obsidian or Smart Connections.
Which is better for teams? Notion. It is built for real-time editing, comments and permissions. Obsidian can share vaults through Obsidian Sync, but it is designed around one person's files.
Sources
- Obsidian pricing and Obsidian Sync
- Obsidian Sync plans, Obsidian Help
- Sync your notes across devices, Obsidian Help
- Import from Notion, Obsidian Help
- Notion pricing
- Notion AI FAQs, Notion Help
- Working offline in Notion, Notion Help
- Import data into Notion and Export your content, Notion Help