10 Best Obsidian Alternatives

Obsidian is a note-taking app that was released in 2020. It helps users manage their ideas and organize them more coherently.

The app offers useful features like storage vaults, bidirectional linking, and customization options. You can also use it on your PC or mobile through user-friendly apps.

Obsidian has a free version that gives you access to vital app features like themes, plugins, and API. There’s no signup required to get started, plus you get unlimited community support.

However, you can’t do everything with the free version. To use it commercially, you must get the premium version, which costs $50 per user per year. Some essential add-ons like Obsidian Sync and Obsidian Publish aren’t free either.

That said, there are some good alternatives to Obsidian that either don’t cost much or offer better features.

Read on to find out more.

Obsidian Alternatives Worth Trying

1. Google Keep – Best Free Note App

Google Keep is completely free. There are no tiered features like Obsidian. It is a service that comes bundled with any Google account you open.

You can create short notes with links, images, and audio. The platform can be used on mobile and the web. You need to be logged into your Google account to access it.

Google Keep has a customizable interface that lets you color code your note cards for easy identification. The options include white, orange, red, yellow, teal, green, gray, and blue.

Every note comes with a title, and recently, the ability to pin the notes was added. The addition makes it even more user-friendly than before.

Users can also extract text from images using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Voice notes can also be transcribed automatically, saving users the time and energy they’d have used to type them out.

Copy and paste functionality is also available. It may seem basic, but it is quite helpful for people who type long-form notes. Each year, Google Keep receives updates that improve features.

You can use Google Keep on the web or your smartphone through the Android and iOS apps.

2.  Evernote – Most Versatile

Evernote is another popular note-taking and multitasking app that has been around for many years. It’s the most versatile Obsidian alternative, allowing you to create multiple things simultaneously.

You can create quick notes, plan your projects, and so much more in an organized manner.

It is the perfect app for taking notes in meetings and even supports the inclusion of images, links, or audio. Users can link the notes to calendar events on their PCs or mobile to get prompt alerts when needed.

Evernote also lets you create to-do lists in case you have too much on your plate. Whether you plan to do shopping, laundry, or run some errands, you get everything at your fingertips.

The tool also provides long-form writing options. If you are a novelist, you can express your ideas through Evernote and export them to other writing tools.

It’s also a capable note-taking app for students who love reading while jotting down important points.

Evernote has both free and premium versions. There’s Evernote Personal, which costs $129.99/year, and Evernote Professional, which goes for $169/year. Large teams can use Evernote Teams, which costs $24.99 per user per month.

Evernote is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS

3. Simplenote – Best for Multiple Devices

If you are the type that loves taking notes everywhere and on any device, then Simplenote is what you need.

The free seamless sync is the standout feature that makes Simplenote a better alternative to Obsidian. Once you create a note on your smartphone, you can pick up the process on another device later.

The fun bit is that there’s no sync button you have to press every hour. It just automatically updates everything across all apps.

Some things you can do with Simplenote are create notes, make to-do lists, save important links, etc.

You can add tags to each note to make finding them much easier. Being able to sort your notes using these tags makes the organization of all your ideas more coherent.

Simplenote is also highly customizable. You can change fonts and themes to suit your needs. The dark theme is especially vital for people who use the tool to write long-form notes for many hours.

Another helpful thing about Simplenote is the ability to import and export your documents. That means you can seamlessly collaborate with other note-taking apps on this list without losing anything.

Simplenote is completely free and is compatible with iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux.

4. Joplin – Best for Scheduling Tasks

Joplin is an open-source note-taking app that’s geared toward scheduling tasks. Joplin will sort you out if you have too much on your plate and can’t keep track of everything.

There’s support for multimedia notes, including videos, audio, images, and PDF files. It’s also one of the few note apps on this list that supports special mathematical functions.

You can create mathematical expressions and diagrams directly within the app. That makes it ideal for students who want digital copies of their writings when studying.

Joplin is also highly integrated with cloud storage services. So you don’t have to worry about running out of space. Simply write as much as you want and upload it to cloud storage.

You can even share all your creations with others with a simple tap on your screen. Joplin provides your notes with URL links that can be independently opened on any browser.

Customization options are also available for users who love making their work look organized. You can change the theme fonts and create scripts and plugins using an extension API tool.

Like Obsidian, Joplin isn’t free. It has three price plans that range from $2.65/month to $7.38/month.

Joplin has Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS apps.

5. Milanote – Best for Creative Projects

Milanote is the best organizational and note-taking app for creative people. It has one of the most colorful interfaces of any app on our list.

You can create notes of all types of Milanote, from short to long-form writeups covering any idea you have.

Some elements you can add to your notes include images, videos, audio, and PDFs. Supported file formats include JPGs, Microsoft Word, Excel, and a host of design files, among many others.

The innovative Milanote Web Clipper lets you save all your inspirational ideas from any website. It is an extension that works with Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

The app also has an appealing visual organization. It’s the type that helps creative people streamline their thoughts through customizable artboards.

There’s also a collaborative feature with a whiteboard where creatives can share ideas or brainstorm remotely with each other.

Milanote has free and premium versions. The premium version is a little costlier than Obsidian. There’s a personal plan that costs $9.99 per month. The team version costs $49 per month and can be used by up to 10 people.

Milanote is compatible with Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.

6. Logseq – Best for Professional Work

As far as professionals go, Logseq is the ideal note and scheduling app that every working person should have.

The website itself looks unique right from the start. It has a dark green background with light green text that is easy to read, like the apps.

Logseq is the ultimate free app for busy professionals who want to jot down the random thoughts they get. It also schedules tasks and can be integrated with calendars to track events or tasks.

It’s open-source, which means you can access all the functional features without paying a dime. You can write long essays without word limits, which is perfect for students writing their thesis.

It also comes with a tool for outlining essays on your behalf using AI technology. This significantly reduces the time you would have spent searching multiple sources.

There’s a helpful community hub that provides new users with helpful tips and troubleshooting guides. But what makes Logseq different from Obsidian is how it prioritizes user privacy. All the notes you create are encrypted and can’t be accessed by anyone else.

There are over 150 plugins plus 30 themes to choose from. Logseq is available for macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS.

7. Amplenote – Best for To-Do Lists

To-do lists may sound easy, but most people need help organizing them. Amplenote is one of the best for creating comprehensive to-do lists for every activity.

Amplenote has several modes of operation. You can create jots and short write-ups that remind you of what you were thinking.

These jots can then be upgraded to fully flushed, more coherent notes. Then, there are the tasks where you can create to-do lists for all planned activities. You also get a calendar that allows you to synchronize everything for easy access and to get prompt alerts.

The overall user interface is just as easy to use as Obsidian. You can color code your cards to avoid confusion. Amplenote also supports images, audio, links, and PDFs.

You can also link everything to cloud storage. So you don’t have to worry about running out of space on your device.

Amplenotes is free, but there are premium plans that come with extra features. They include Pro, which costs $5.84/month, Unlimited at $10/month, and Founder at $20/month.

The tool can be installed on Android and iOS. It also comes with extensions for Google Chrome and Firefox.

Also Read: Logseq vs Obsidian

8. Notability – Best for Graphical Notes

Notability is a great tool for people who love creating graphical notes. It would be perfect for architects and designers who need to sketch a random idea they get quickly.

It has an intuitive and minimal interface that’s very appealing. It combines a series of colors for each graphical item you create. For example, you can scratch something in red and annotate it in a different color to make it stand out.

A special feature called the Notability Gallery allows you to share things you create with others. It’s like a central storage space with permission settings you can tweak to add the people you want.

Another interesting feature that makes Notability amazing is the ability to create handwritten notes and graphics. That’s something you can’t do on Obsidian.

While free, subscription-based plans like Notability Plus and Notability Starter exist. However, the pricing varies by region.

Notability is available for Android and iOS.

Also Read: Evernote vs OneNote

9. RemNote – Best for Students

RemNote is the best study partner that any student would ever wish for. It claims to have over 800,000 students using it for their assignments. But what is it about RemNote that makes it better for students than Obsidian?

First is the ability to create detailed outlines on any topic that’s fed into it. That alone cuts down the time a student would have used to collect data from different sources for the outline.

Secondly, RemNote is easy to use. You get the same amazing features whether you use it on the web, PC, or mobile phone. You also get unique things like flashcards that track your study patterns. That helps you know the areas where you need to improve.

RemNote organizes everything you create into easy-to-digest formats, perfect for memory learning before exams. Every study you finish provides a detailed analysis to show you whether you’ve mastered it or not.

The tool has free and paid versions. The free version handles basic things like annotations and syncing. If you want to unlock more, consider the Pro version, which costs $8/month.

Alternatively, you can get the Life-Long Learner plan, which costs a one-time fee of $395.

You can install RemNote on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Also Read: Best Evernote Alternatives

10. Nebo – Best for Handwritten Notes

Wrapping up our best Obsidian alternative is Nebo. It’s best known for supporting handwritten notes.

Nebo can convert handwritten notes into text recognizable by any computer and mobile system. That’s a convenient ability because it eliminates the need for transcribing or deciphering. So you have more freedom to create notes in freehand as they pop up in your head.

There’s support for pen gestures, too, allowing you to edit in real-time using scratches and underlining. But this works on devices that support pens.

Nebo has customization options like switching to dark mode or changing color codes for note cards.

The tool combines free and premium plans. The free version is limited to basic editor tools, while the premium versions offer more. You can use Nebo Pro, which costs $15/month, or Nebo Enterprise, with custom pricing, depending on your desired features.

Nebo is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows.

Wrapping Up

Google Keep stands out as the best free alternative. It is ideal for people who want a basic note-taking app for their daily musings.

If you are a professional, I recommend Logseq.

RemNote is the best of the lot if you are a student or want to use it for academic purposes.

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