Obsidian vs OneNote: Markdown Files or Freeform Notebooks (2026)
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Both apps are free. Pick Obsidian if you want your notes as plain Markdown files on your own device, linked to each other, with your own choice of sync and AI. Pick OneNote if you want freeform notebook pages where you can type, draw or handwrite anywhere, synced through your Microsoft account, with Copilot if you have Microsoft 365.
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 Microsoft's own pricing and support pages, linked at the end.
Checked on November 2, 2026. Prices are in US dollars.
Obsidian and OneNote side by side
| Obsidian | OneNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Markdown files in a folder on your device | Notebooks in OneDrive; OneNote on Windows can also keep them on the PC |
| Page style | Text documents written in Markdown, linked to each other | Freeform pages: type, draw or handwrite anywhere |
| Offline | Everything, always | The apps keep working and sync when you reconnect |
| Price of the app | Free, no account needed | Free, with a Microsoft account |
| Paid options | Sync from $4 a month, Publish from $8 a month (both billed yearly) | Microsoft 365 Personal $99.99 a year or $9.99 a month, with 1 TB and Copilot |
| Sync between devices | Obsidian Sync, or your own iCloud, OneDrive, Syncthing or Git | Built in, through OneDrive; 5 GB free |
| Built-in AI | None; add it with community plugins | Copilot, with an eligible Microsoft 365 plan |
| Apps | Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android | Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web |
| Import from the other | Obsidian's Importer plugin reads OneNote notebooks | Copy and paste |
Markdown files or OneNote notebooks
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. Notes link to each other by name, and Obsidian shows each note's backlinks and a graph of how they connect. Obsidian is free, though it is not open source.
OneNote organizes notes as notebooks, sections and pages, like a paper binder. A page is a free canvas: you can click anywhere to type, add drawings and handwriting, and drop in pictures and files. Notebooks live in OneDrive so every OneNote app can open them. OneNote on Windows can also save a notebook on the PC, but Microsoft notes that the other OneNote apps can't open it until you move it to OneDrive.
Offline use
Obsidian works offline by default, because your notes are already files on your device. Sync catches up when you reconnect.
OneNote keeps working when your connection drops and syncs your changes when you are back online. On iPhone and iPad, Microsoft suggests turning on Auto Sync Attachments so pictures and files are there offline too. OneNote for the web needs a connection.
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.
OneNote is a free app on every platform, and a free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage. Microsoft 365 adds storage and Copilot:
- Personal: $99.99 a year or $9.99 a month, 1 TB.
- Family: $129.99 a year or $12.99 a month, 2 TB shared; AI features are for the subscription owner only.
- Premium: $199.99 a year or $19.99 a month, 2 TB, with more AI use.
For one person who wants sync on every device, both can cost nothing: OneNote with the free 5 GB, or Obsidian with a free sync method such as iCloud on Apple devices. For built-in AI, OneNote's path is Microsoft 365 Personal at $99.99 a year.
Sync between devices
OneNote syncs by itself through OneDrive. Sign in with the same Microsoft account on each device and your notebooks are there. Sharing a notebook with others works the same way.
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. OneDrive, for example, works on Windows and Mac but isn't officially supported for Obsidian on iPhone.
AI options
Copilot in OneNote can summarize notes, make task lists, rewrite text and draft plans from your pages. Microsoft's support page says it is available with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription in OneNote for Windows; with a work Copilot license it also works on Mac, iPad and the web. Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium include Copilot in the desktop apps, and Basic does not. OneNote also has Copilot Notebooks, which gathers pages, files and chats on one project and answers questions from them.
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. (Copilot for Obsidian, below, is a community plugin and not Microsoft's Copilot.)
- 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: 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 Copilot in OneNote.
Moving your notes
OneNote to Obsidian: Obsidian's official Importer plugin has two routes. The Microsoft account route signs in to your account and imports the notebooks you own from OneDrive, with each section becoming a folder and each page a note. The file route reads .onepkg or .one files with no sign-in, but exporting a .onepkg needs OneNote for Windows. Password-protected sections are skipped until you remove the password.
Freeform layouts become ordinary notes in Obsidian, so check pages that rely on handwriting or placed content after you import.
Obsidian to OneNote: copy and paste the notes you need. Markdown formatting such as headings and links may need tidying in OneNote.
Who should pick which
Pick Obsidian if you:
- want notes as plain files you own and can open with any app
- write a lot of text and link notes into a growing body of knowledge
- want to choose your own sync and your own AI, or pay nothing at all
- use Linux, or want everything to work offline without thinking about it
Pick OneNote if you:
- handwrite or draw with a pen, or like to place things anywhere on a page
- already use Microsoft 365, Outlook and OneDrive
- want a free app with sync that just works, including in a browser
- want Copilot built in through a Microsoft 365 plan you already pay for
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 OneNote free? Yes, on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web. A free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage. Copilot needs a paid Microsoft 365 plan.
Is Obsidian free? Yes. The app is free for personal and work use, with no account. Sync and Publish are optional paid services.
Can I import OneNote into Obsidian? Yes, with Obsidian's official Importer plugin, from your Microsoft account or from .onepkg and .one files.
Does Obsidian support handwriting like OneNote? Not built in. Obsidian is made for typed Markdown. Community plugins add drawing, but if handwriting is central to how you take notes, OneNote fits better.
Is Copilot in OneNote the same as Copilot for Obsidian? No. Copilot in OneNote is Microsoft's AI. Copilot for Obsidian is an unrelated community plugin.
Sources
- Obsidian pricing and Obsidian Sync
- Sync your notes across devices, Obsidian Help
- Import from Microsoft OneNote, Obsidian Help
- What's the difference between the OneNote versions?, Microsoft Support
- Move OneNote notebooks from your computer to OneDrive, Microsoft Support
- Work offline in OneNote for iPad or iPhone, Microsoft Support
- Welcome to Copilot in OneNote, Microsoft Support
- What are Copilot Notebooks in OneNote?, Microsoft Support
- Compare Microsoft 365 plans