Smart Connections vs SystemSculpt: Related Notes or AI Chat (2026)
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Pick Smart Connections if you want related notes while you write, free, with a local model it ships with and no API key or account. Pick SystemSculpt if you want an AI that chats with your vault and edits notes, using your own Claude Code or Codex on desktop or hosted SystemSculpt AI on desktop and mobile, plus audio transcription, with chats and transcripts saved as Markdown in your vault.
We make SystemSculpt. Everything below about Smart Connections comes from its own README, listing and pricing page, linked at the end. Facts and prices checked November 3, 2026.
Side by side
| Criteria | Smart Connections | SystemSculpt |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Related notes while you write, with no setup | AI chat that works on your notes, plus audio notes and related notes |
| AI it runs | A built-in local embedding model for related notes and search; chat is a separate plugin, Smart Chat | Your installed, signed-in Claude Code or Codex on desktop; hosted SystemSculpt AI on desktop and mobile; no local models or own API keys |
| Chat with your notes | Not in Smart Connections; Smart Chat runs Ollama free, and cloud providers with Smart Chat Pro | Yes, built in; chats are saved as Markdown notes in your vault |
| Edits your notes | No; it finds related notes and passes them to other tools | Yes. New chats start in Auto: hosted AI creates and edits without asking, and asks before moving or deleting; Ask mode asks before every change |
| Search by meaning | Yes: the Connections view and the Lookup view; embeddings are made locally by default | Yes: Similar Notes and meaning matches in vault search; indexing is hosted and uses credits |
| Audio and YouTube | Not listed | Record in Obsidian, transcribe audio to Markdown or SRT, turn long audio or a YouTube video into a note; hosted, uses credits |
| PDFs and documents | Not listed | PDFs and images to Markdown notes; hosted, uses credits |
| Phone and tablet | Yes | Yes, with hosted SystemSculpt AI; Claude Code and Codex are desktop only |
| Free to start | Yes, no API key or account | Yes; your own Claude Code or Codex needs no SystemSculpt plan; 500 one-time starter credits for eligible new accounts, no card |
| Paid plans | Pro $30 a month or $299 a year, 14-day free trial | $9 a month or $90 a year; credit packs from $19 for 10,000 credits |
| License | Source available (Smart Plugins License) | MIT plugin; hosted service closed source |
| Downloads | 1,258,678 | 38,809 |
| Latest release | 4.7.2, August 6, 2026 | 6.18.10, November 3, 2026 |
"Not listed" means Smart Connections' own README, listing and pricing page don't describe the feature as of the check date. Downloads are Obsidian directory totals and include automatic updates.
SystemSculpt is free to install. Monthly is $9/mo; Yearly is $90/yr.
Where Smart Connections fits better
Smart Connections does one job well and asks nothing of you to start. Install it, keep writing, and its built-in local model indexes your vault and lists notes related to the one you have open. The Lookup view searches the whole vault by meaning. Embeddings are made on your device by default, so related notes cost nothing and need no account, and it works on your phone.
It is also far more widely used: about 1.26 million downloads against SystemSculpt's 38,809.
Its Pro plan, $30 a month or $299 a year with a 14-day free trial, adds Connections Pro (related passages inline as you write), Context Pro, Chat Pro, Connect Pro and Smart Graph, a map of how your notes cluster.
Choose Smart Connections if related notes are what you want, you want search to run on your device, or you don't want to pay for search.
Where SystemSculpt fits better
SystemSculpt is for when you want the AI to do work in your vault, not only point at notes. Its chat reads the notes you attach or allow and writes back as files: on desktop through your own Claude Code or Codex with no SystemSculpt plan, or through hosted SystemSculpt AI on desktop and mobile. It also records voice notes and meetings, transcribes audio files to Markdown or SRT, turns a YouTube video into a note with a timestamped transcript, and converts PDFs to Markdown.
It has related notes too, in the Similar Notes panel, but building that index uses SystemSculpt's hosted service and credits, where Smart Connections' runs on your device for free.
Choose SystemSculpt if you want chat that edits notes, transcription and related notes in one plugin, on desktop and mobile, with everything saved as Markdown in your vault.
Can you use both?
Yes. They run side by side: Smart Connections for free related notes on your device, SystemSculpt for chat and audio. If you use both, you can leave SystemSculpt's Similar Notes off and spend no credits on indexing.
Questions
Is Smart Connections free? Yes. The core plugin is free, needs no API key or account, and ships with a local model for related notes and Lookup search. Pro costs $30 a month or $299 a year.
Can Smart Connections chat with my notes? Not by itself. Chat moved to a separate plugin, Smart Chat, which runs local models through Ollama for free; cloud providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic need Smart Chat Pro.
Does SystemSculpt find related notes like Smart Connections? Yes. Its Similar Notes panel lists notes related to the one you have open, and vault search adds matches by meaning. Unlike Smart Connections, building the index uses SystemSculpt's hosted service and credits.
Which one works on my phone? Both. Smart Connections' related notes work on mobile. SystemSculpt chat works on mobile with hosted SystemSculpt AI; Claude Code and Codex are desktop only.
What does SystemSculpt cost? It's free to install, and desktop chat with your own Claude Code or Codex needs no SystemSculpt plan. Eligible new accounts can claim 500 one-time starter credits for hosted AI with no card. Paid plans are $9 a month or $90 a year.
Do I keep my notes if I stop using either plugin? Yes. Your notes stay Markdown files in your vault either way. SystemSculpt's chats, transcripts and converted documents are Markdown notes too, so they stay if you cancel or uninstall.
Comparing more plugins? Read SystemSculpt vs Text Generator, the Copilot alternatives or the best Obsidian AI plugins in 2026.
Try SystemSculpt
Install SystemSculpt free from Obsidian's community plugins, open chat, and pick Claude Code, Codex or SystemSculpt in the line below the message box. Compare plans.
Sources
Checked November 3, 2026: Smart Connections README, Pro plans, 4.7.2 release and license; Smart Chat README; SystemSculpt source code (MIT), release notes and pricing; download totals from the Obsidian directory statistics.