# Obsidian Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Knowledge base that works on local Markdown files Category: Productivity · Free · Replaces Roam Research ($15/month) · [Official website](https://obsidian.md) ## Install with Homebrew `brew install --cask obsidian` ## Quick take Obsidian remains the Mac default for local-first knowledge management in August 2026. Free forever for personal and commercial vaults, optional Sync/Publish when you want convenience, and a plugin culture that can approximate half of SaaS productivity if you accept maintenance. Choose Notion for team databases and agents; choose Obsidian when the files must outlive the vendor. Best for: Researchers and writers building long-term personal knowledge bases, Developers who want Markdown notes next to repos, Privacy-conscious professionals avoiding cloud-only notes, Teams okay with file-based workflows plus optional Sync ## What is Obsidian? Obsidian is a local-first knowledge base that stores notes as a folder of plain Markdown files on your disk. You own the files; there is no required account for the core app. Links, graph view, backlinks, canvas, and a massive community plugin ecosystem turn a directory of notes into a personal (or team) second brain. As of August 2026 Obsidian is very much alive and independently run. The important licensing truth: Obsidian is free for personal and commercial use. A commercial license ($50/user/year) is optional support for organizations, not a legal gate. Obsidian made commercial use free (with optional paid support) in 2025 and still documents it that way on obsidian.md/pricing and the license pages. Catalyst ($25 one-time) is a supporter tier for early betas and badges. Optional cloud services: Obsidian Sync is $4/user/month billed annually ($5 month-to-month) with end-to-end encryption, version history, and shared vault collaboration. Obsidian Publish is $8/site/month billed annually ($10 month-to-month) to turn notes into a public site with theme, graph, and search. Students, faculty, and nonprofit staff can get 40% off Sync and Publish. The Mac app is native-feeling, Apple Silicon friendly, and works offline by design: ideal on macOS Tahoe 26.x laptops that leave Wi-Fi. Compared with Notion, Obsidian trades multiplayer databases for speed, privacy, and file portability. Community plugins (Dataview, Tasks, Calendar, Kanban, AI bridges) close many gaps but require maintenance when major app versions ship. Sync competitors include iCloud Drive, Git, Syncthing, and third-party relays. Obsidian Sync remains the zero-config encrypted option for most people. If you want a durable personal knowledge base that will outlive any SaaS pivot, Obsidian is still the gold standard on Mac. Pay for Sync if you need phone+desktop without babysitting Git; otherwise free local vaults are enough. ## Features - **Local Markdown Vaults.** Notes are just `.md` files in a folder you control. Move, back up, or grep them with ordinary Mac tools, no proprietary lock-in for core content. - **Bidirectional Links and Graph View.** Wiki-style `[[links]]`, backlinks panes, and a graph visualization surface emergent structure in a research vault. - **Plugins and Themes.** Thousands of community plugins and themes. Core plugins cover daily notes, templates, canvas, outline, and more without leaving first-party code. - **Obsidian Sync.** Optional end-to-end encrypted sync across devices with version history and shared vaults ($4/user/month annual or $5 monthly). - **Obsidian Publish.** One-click public sites from selected notes with search and graph ($8/site/month annual or $10 monthly). - **Canvas and Visual Thinking.** Infinite canvas boards mix notes, cards, and media for spatial planning alongside linear Markdown. - **Offline-First Mac App.** Works fully offline on Apple Silicon Macs; perfect for flights and focus blocks. Mobile apps cover iOS/Android when Sync or another relay is configured. - **Optional Catalyst and Commercial Support.** Catalyst ($25) funds development and unlocks beta access perks. Commercial $50/user/year is optional organizational support, not a mandatory work license. ## How to Install Obsidian on Mac Obsidian installs via Homebrew or direct download. It runs on macOS 12 (Monterey) or later. 1. **Install via Homebrew.** Run `brew install --cask obsidian` in your terminal. This installs Obsidian to /Applications. 2. **Create or Open a Vault.** On first launch, Obsidian asks you to create a new vault (choose a folder on your Mac) or open an existing one. The vault is just a directory, you can put it in Documents, Desktop, Dropbox, or iCloud Drive. 3. **Enable Core Plugins.** Go to Settings > Core Plugins and enable Daily Notes, Templates, and Graph View. These are built-in features that form the foundation of most workflows. 4. **Install Community Plugins.** Go to Settings > Community Plugins, disable 'Restricted Mode', and browse the plugin marketplace. Start with Dataview, Templater, and Calendar. Install gradually, too many plugins at once makes it hard to learn what each one does. ## Pros - True local-first Markdown: you always have the files - Free for work as well as personal use - Best-in-class linking, graph, and plugin ecosystem for PKM - Optional E2E Sync without forcing cloud-only notes - Fast Apple Silicon desktop app with full offline mode - Publish turns a vault into a docs site without a static-site pipeline ## Cons - Multiplayer databases and permissions lag Notion for large teams - Plugin upkeep is on you when major versions break APIs - Sync and Publish costs add up for multi-device families - Mobile editing is improved but still secondary to desktop for power users - Empty vault problem, structure is DIY unless you adopt a kit ## Closer look: Why Local-First Note-Taking Matters The philosophy behind Obsidian's local-first design, how the plugin ecosystem emerged, and what happens when your note app owns your data vs when you do. ## FAQ ### What happens to my notes if Obsidian shuts down? Nothing. Your notes are.md files in a folder on your computer. Open them in VS Code, iA Writer, Typora, or any text editor. The links ([[note name]]) are standard Markdown-compatible in many editors. Your data is never trapped. ### Do I need Obsidian Sync, or can I use iCloud/Dropbox? You can use iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or Git. Obsidian Sync ($4/month) offers end-to-end encryption and version history, which free alternatives don't provide. iCloud works well for Mac/iOS sync. Git works well for Mac/Linux with the Obsidian Git plugin. Avoid syncing the same vault with both iCloud and Obsidian Sync, pick one. ### How is Obsidian different from Notion? Obsidian stores files locally as Markdown; Notion stores data on their cloud servers in a proprietary format. Obsidian is for personal knowledge management with data ownership. Notion is for team collaboration with databases and wikis. Obsidian works offline; Notion needs internet. Obsidian has 1,800+ plugins; Notion has integrations but no plugin system. ### Is Obsidian free? Yes. The core app is free for personal and commercial use with no account required. An optional $50/user/year commercial license supports development and can feature your organization, but it is not required to use the app at work. Sync and Publish are separate optional subscriptions. ### Can I use Obsidian for code documentation? Yes. Markdown supports code blocks with syntax highlighting. Many developers use Obsidian as a personal wiki for their projects, documenting architecture decisions, API references, and troubleshooting guides. The local-first approach means your docs live alongside your code if you put the vault in your project directory. ### What are the must-have plugins? Start with these five: Dataview (query your notes), Templater (dynamic templates), Calendar (daily notes navigation), Tasks (task management with due dates), and Obsidian Git (automatic backup). Add more as your workflow demands, but these five cover most use cases. ### Does the graph view actually help, or is it just pretty? It depends on vault size. Under 100 notes, the graph is mostly decorative. Over 300 notes with well-linked content, it becomes useful for discovering unexpected connections between ideas and identifying isolated notes that should be linked to the rest of your knowledge base. Most heavy users check it occasionally rather than using it as a primary navigation tool. ## Sources - [Obsidian Pricing](https://obsidian.md/pricing) - [Obsidian License Overview](https://obsidian.md/license) - [Obsidian Sync](https://obsidian.md/sync) - [Obsidian Publish](https://obsidian.md/publish) - [Obsidian pricing 2026 - eesel](https://www.eesel.ai/blog/obsidian-pricing) - [Obsidian Pricing in 2026 - Use Carly](https://www.usecarly.com/blog/obsidian-pricing/) ## Related - [Raycast](https://bundl.run/apps/raycast) - [Notion](https://bundl.run/apps/notion) - [Loom](https://bundl.run/apps/loom) - [Linear](https://bundl.run/apps/linear-linear) - [Grammarly](https://bundl.run/apps/grammarly-desktop) - [Todoist](https://bundl.run/apps/todoist) - [Obsidian vs Logseq](https://bundl.run/compare/logseq-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Bear](https://bundl.run/compare/bear-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Joplin](https://bundl.run/compare/joplin-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Notion](https://bundl.run/compare/notion-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Anytype](https://bundl.run/compare/anytype-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Apple Notes](https://bundl.run/compare/obsidian-vs-apple-notes) - [Obsidian vs Craft](https://bundl.run/compare/craft-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Standard Notes](https://bundl.run/compare/standard-notes-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Zettlr](https://bundl.run/compare/zettlr-vs-obsidian) - [Free alternative to Roam Research](https://bundl.run/https:/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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