# Joplin vs Obsidian Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Joplin is the top pick for most Mac users looking at note-taking. It is free and open-source and installs in one Homebrew command. Obsidian is the stronger choice if you are moving off Roam Research. As of October 2026, both install with brew install --cask joplin and brew install --cask obsidian. Obsidian still wins overall in August 2026 for personal knowledge management on Mac: local Markdown vaults, graph/backlinks/Canvas and plugin depth remain unmatched for most PKM workflows. Joplin's 3.6/3.7 progress and clear Cloud pricing make it the stronger FOSS and official-E2EE alternative, especially for Evernote migrants and multi-device encrypted sync without DIY. The verdict did not flip, choose on philosophy (FOSS notebooks vs extensible vault) more than on abandonment risk. Both are actively maintained. ## Head to head | Factor | Joplin | Obsidian | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Free | | Open Source | Yes | No | | Replaces | Evernote ($15/mo) | Roam Research ($15/month) | | Best for | notes, markdown, sync | notes, markdown, knowledge | | Install | brew install --cask joplin | brew install --cask obsidian | | Category | Productivity | Productivity | ## Joplin Open source note-taking and to-do application Install: `brew install --cask joplin` [Joplin on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/joplin) ## Obsidian Knowledge base that works on local Markdown files Install: `brew install --cask obsidian` [Obsidian on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/obsidian) ## Features - **Built-in Encryption and Sync.** Joplin wins for providing free, built-in E2E encryption with any cloud provider. This is a significant advantage for privacy-focused users. - **Web Clipper.** Joplin's web clipper remains more mature with deeper notebook integration, though Obsidian's official clipper has closed the gap significantly. - **Knowledge Linking and Graph View.** Obsidian's linking capabilities are in a completely different league from Joplin's basic note links. - **Plugin Ecosystem.** Obsidian's plugin ecosystem is vastly larger and covers far more use cases. - **Evernote Migration Path.** Joplin is the natural Evernote replacement with a near-identical organizational model and built-in import. - **Data Format and Portability.** Obsidian's pure file-based approach provides superior portability and future-proofing. - **To-Do and Task Management.** Both offer adequate task management, Joplin's is simpler and built-in, Obsidian's is more capable with plugins. - **Cross-Platform Consistency.** Both apps provide solid cross-platform support with similar platform coverage. ## FAQ ### Is Obsidian better than Joplin in 2026? For most PKM and linked-note workflows, yes, plugins, graph and Markdown vault UX lead. Joplin is better when FOSS licensing and official E2EE sync are the priority. ### Is Joplin free? Yes. Desktop and mobile apps are free open source. Joplin Cloud is optional paid sync/storage. ### Is Obsidian free for commercial use? Yes. The core app is free for personal and commercial use. An optional commercial license supports development but is not required to use Obsidian at work. ### How much is Obsidian Sync? About $4/user/month when billed annually, or $5 month-to-month, confirm on obsidian.md/pricing. Publish and Catalyst are separate. ### How much is Joplin Cloud? Basic, Pro, Pro 100GB and Teams tiers are listed in euros on joplinapp.org/plans (roughly €2.99-€9.99 individual monthly ranges, Teams per user). Yearly billing discounts apply. ### Which is better for privacy? Both can be private local-first. Joplin's open-source code plus built-in E2EE and flexible sync targets is compelling; Obsidian is local files with optional Sync, review threat models for each. ### Can I migrate notes between them? Yes via Markdown/export paths. Expect to rebuild tag/notebook structures and rewrite plugin-dependent workflows. ### Do they work on Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe? Yes, both ship current Mac builds suitable for Apple Silicon and modern macOS including Tahoe 26.x. ### Is either discontinued? No. Joplin continues 3.6/3.7 releases in 2026; Obsidian remains actively developed with paid Sync/Publish services. ### Which has better plugins? Obsidian's community plugin ecosystem is substantially larger and more PKM-oriented. Joplin plugins exist but are fewer. ## Sources - [Joplin Cloud plans](https://joplinapp.org/plans/) - [Joplin home](https://joplinapp.org/) - [Joplin changelog / releases](https://joplinapp.org/help/about/changelog/desktop/) - [Obsidian pricing](https://obsidian.md/pricing) - [Obsidian home](https://obsidian.md/) - [Obsidian Sync](https://obsidian.md/sync) - [Joplin GitHub](https://github.com/laurent22/joplin) ## Related - [Joplin vs Notion](https://bundl.run/compare/joplin-vs-notion) - [Logseq vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/logseq-vs-obsidian) - [Bear vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/bear-vs-obsidian) - [Notion vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/notion-vs-obsidian) - [Anytype vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/anytype-vs-obsidian) - [Obsidian vs Apple Notes](https://bundl.run/compare/obsidian-vs-apple-notes) - [Craft vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/craft-vs-obsidian) - [Standard Notes vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/standard-notes-vs-obsidian) ```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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