Joplin vs. Obsidian

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Joplin
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Joplin is an open-source, Local-First application for note-taking and to-do management. It utilizes Markdown as its native format and provides a platform-agnostic environment for capturing, organizing, and synchronizing structured information across diverse devices.
$0
Obsidian
Score 9.4 out of 10
N/A
Obsidian is a Local-First knowledge management and Markdown Editor that functions as a non-linear database for notes. Built on an Electron framework, the solution operates directly on a local directory of plain-text files to ensure data longevity and prevent proprietary vendor lock-in.
$0
Pricing
JoplinObsidian
Editions & Modules
Joplin
$0
perpetually free and open source
Basic
€2.99
per month includes cloud storage and publishing tools
Pro
€5.99
per month includes cloud storage and publishing tools
Teams
€7.99
per month includes cloud storage and publishing tools
Joplin Server Business
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Obsidian
$0
Obsidian Sync
$5
per month per user
Obsidian Publish
$10
per month per user
Obsidian Catalyst
$25
one-time fee (a supporter plan with beta feature access and additional recognition and support)
Obsidian Commercial
$50
per year per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
JoplinObsidian
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsJoplin is free and open source. Commercial plans support enterprises with additional features, and cloud hosting solutions include storage and publishing/sharing tools.Commercial plans include team features and version control. A discount is available for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
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JoplinObsidian
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Score 8.7 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
JoplinObsidian
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
JoplinObsidian
Likelihood to Recommend
Open Source
Already done.
Read full review
Obsidian (Dynalist, Inc.)
No answers on this topic
Pros
Open Source
  • take and find notes of any kind.
  • Exports notes for sharing.
  • Syncs between devices.
  • Exports notes as html.
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Obsidian (Dynalist, Inc.)
No answers on this topic
Cons
Open Source
  • It currently lacks integrated Grammar checking.
  • Lack of integrated AI.
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Obsidian (Dynalist, Inc.)
No answers on this topic
Usability
Open Source
Mostly, it is wonderful. However, the search could be easier to use. I use the Markdown editor, which can be made very easy to use, but is really needed to get the most out of Joplin. If you are unwilling to use Markdown, don't use Joplin.
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Obsidian (Dynalist, Inc.)
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Open Source
I left Evernote many, many years ago, but was very happy with the move to Joplin and much prefer it.
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Obsidian (Dynalist, Inc.)
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Open Source
  • I write my newsletter with it.
  • I use it to monitor my billing - Getting money has a high ROI.
  • Client notes. Hard to know what the ROI is for knowing what the client last had a problem with, but I assume it is part of why I've kept the same clients for decades.
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Obsidian (Dynalist, Inc.)
No answers on this topic
ScreenShots