# Zettlr vs Obsidian Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Zettlr is the top pick for most Mac users looking at Note apps. 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 zettlr and brew install --cask obsidian. Obsidian covers more ground for most Mac users in August 2026. It is free, portable and it stretches into workflows you invent later. Zettlr wins right now when cites and Pandoc export are the job. It does scholarly work with no configuration that Obsidian only reaches after plugins and upkeep. ## Head to head | Factor | Zettlr | Obsidian | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Free | | Open Source | Yes | No | | Replaces | Ulysses ($50/yr) | Roam Research ($15/month) | | Best for | markdown, writing, research | notes, markdown, knowledge | | Install | brew install --cask zettlr | brew install --cask obsidian | | Category | Productivity | Productivity | ## Zettlr Markdown editor for researchers Install: `brew install --cask zettlr` [Zettlr on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/zettlr) ## Obsidian Knowledge base that works on local Markdown files Install: `brew install --cask obsidian` [Obsidian on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/obsidian) ## Features - **Citations & academic writing.** Zettlr wins scholarly citation ergonomics without plugins. - **Export & Pandoc.** Zettlr's integrated export is smoother for academic pipelines. - **Knowledge management & linking.** Obsidian dominates networked thought. - **Plugins & extensibility.** Obsidian is the platform choice; Zettlr is intentionally lean. - **Data ownership & offline.** Both are exemplary local-first citizens. - **Writing surface & focus.** Zettlr feels calmer for long-form scholarly prose. - **Platforms & mobile.** Obsidian wins if phones and tablets matter. - **Pricing & cost.** Both are $0 forever without hosted extras; Obsidian charges only for services. ## FAQ ### Should I choose Zettlr or Obsidian for a PhD thesis in 2026? Pick Zettlr if cites, footnotes and single-command Pandoc builds to Word, PDF or LaTeX are your daily work. Pick Obsidian if the thesis is one part of a larger research collection you will grow for years. Obsidian advantages compound over time. Many researchers use Zettlr to write and Obsidian to think and share one Markdown folder between them. ### Do I need to pay for either app? No. Zettlr is open source funded by donations. Obsidian core is free for personal and commercial use. You only pay if you want Sync, Publish or optional commercial support. ### Can Obsidian do Zotero citations like Zettlr? Yes. Install the Citations and Zotero Integration plugins and point them at your library and CSL file. Day to day it works well. Setup takes more effort than Zettlr, where cite autocomplete and the bibliography preview are built in. ### Which has the better mobile story? Obsidian. It ships iOS and Android apps and most plugins stay usable on phones. Zettlr is desktop only on Mac, Windows and Linux. For mobile you sync the folder and use a separate Markdown editor. ### Which is lighter on Mac? Similar on Apple Silicon since both are Electron apps. Zettlr feels lighter out of the box because it includes fewer services. Obsidian weight swings with your plugins. ### Can I migrate without losing notes? Yes. Both store notes as plain Markdown folders. Open the Zettlr folder as an Obsidian vault or point Zettlr at the Obsidian vault. Keep CSL and bibliography paths plus YAML frontmatter intact and test one file first. ### Which is better for non-academic writing? Obsidian. Graph, canvas and daily notes fit journals, fiction or a personal knowledge base where citations are less central. ### Do these apps work on macOS Tahoe 26.x? Yes. Both run native on Apple Silicon and stay compatible with Tahoe through 2026. Zettlr updates from GitHub releases, Obsidian from its built-in auto updater. ## Sources - [Zettlr - A One-Stop Publication Workbench](https://www.zettlr.com/) - [Zettlr on GitHub - Releases and Source](https://github.com/Zettlr/Zettlr) - [Zettlr Documentation - Citations and References](https://docs.zettlr.com/en/academic/citations/) - [Obsidian Pricing](https://obsidian.md/pricing) - [Obsidian Sync](https://obsidian.md/sync) - [Obsidian Help Documentation](https://help.obsidian.md/home) - [Slant - Zettlr vs Obsidian detailed comparison](https://www.slant.co/versus/31650/37045/~zettlr_vs_obsidian-md) - [Toolquestor - Obsidian vs Zettlr features 2026](https://toolquestor.com/vs/obsidian-vs-zettlr) ## Related - [Logseq vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/logseq-vs-obsidian) - [Bear vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/bear-vs-obsidian) - [Joplin vs Obsidian](https://bundl.run/compare/joplin-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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