Report updated Apr 1, 2026
Obsidian - Connected Notes
v1.12.7Knowledge workers, researchers, students, and writers who prioritize data privacy, long-term durability, and highly customizable note-taking workflows.
What Is Obsidian - Connected Notes?
Launched Jul 7, 2021
Updated Mar 2026
What users think iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
What does it look like?
What are the key features?
Notes are stored as local plain-text files, ensuring data ownership and offline access.
Visualizes the relationships and connections between notes to uncover patterns in thinking.
An infinite workspace for diagramming, brainstorming, and laying out ideas visually.
Extensive ecosystem allowing users to customize functionality and interface to fit specific workflows.
Create connections between notes to build a personal knowledge base or wiki.
Secure, end-to-end encrypted synchronization of notes across multiple devices.
What's new?
Mixed SignalsObsidian maintains its core value proposition but faces increasing pressure to resolve mobile performance and sync stability issues, which are now formally categorized as primary weaknesses.
Escalation of Mobile UX and Sync Complaints
User feedback has shifted from general UI dissatisfaction to specific, critical reports of broken sync and navigation, indicating a decline in mobile user experience.
Formalization of Mobile Weaknesses
Mobile UI/UX bloat and sync reliability are now explicitly listed as core weaknesses in the SWOT analysis.
Competitive Landscape Re-categorization
The competitive landscape was reorganized, elevating Bear to a 'Nemesis' and adding new entries like Google Keep and Zoho Notebook to the 'Same Space' category.
What do users think? iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
“Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate high customizability and flexibility and powerful knowledge management, but report poor mobile ux and navigation and syncing and file access issues.”
What Users Love
It can be whatever you want/need it to be.
Best note-taking app for my needs.
Finally a single place for all my notes...
I manage my entire life in Obsidian.
Pain Points
Not mobile friendly. Basic tabs missing.
The new UI update made everything slow.
You are forced to use iCloud for your own device syncing.
The latest updates have broken my beloved obsidian on iOS.
High confidence · 99 reviews available
How is it ranked?
| Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Free | #99 | NEW |
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
- Extensive plugin/theme ecosystem
- Local-first data ownership
- Strong graph-based knowledge mapping
Cons
- Mobile UI/UX bloat
- Sync reliability issues
- High learning curve
What is the market outlook?
Growth Opportunities
- Mobile-first design overhaul
- Streamlined onboarding for new users
- Enhanced cloud-sync stability
Market Threats
- Emerging object-oriented competitors
- Notion's market dominance
- User churn due to mobile performance
Who competes with Obsidian - Connected Notes?
Contenders
Craft: Notes, Documents, AI
★4.8 (7K)Craft Docs Limited
Offers a superior mobile-native experience and visual document structure that competes for users who value design and performance.
UpNote - notes, diary, journal
★4.7 (1K)UpNote Company Limited
A cross-platform note-taking app that balances Markdown support with a more user-friendly, approachable interface.
Same Space
Joplin
★4.2 (453)Laurent Cozic
An open-source, local-first alternative that mirrors the privacy and data ownership philosophy of Obsidian.
Standard Notes
★4.7 (4K)Standard Notes Ltd.
Focuses heavily on end-to-end encryption and privacy, appealing to the security-conscious segment of the knowledge management market.
What are the key takeaways?
Obsidian - Connected Notes is a divisive productivity app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.1/5 rating from 18.8K reviews, it receives mixed feedback from users. Users particularly appreciate high customizability and flexibility, though poor mobile ux and navigation remains a common concern.
Best for: Knowledge workers, researchers, students, and writers who prioritize data privacy, long-term durability, and highly customizable note-taking workflows.
How much does it cost?
Model: freemium
The core product is free and open-format to prevent vendor lock-in, with monetization focused on value-added cloud services like encrypted sync and web publishing.
iOS Version
1.12.7
Android Version
1.12.7
Release Date
Jul 7, 2021
iOS Price
Free
Android Price
Free
Developer
Dynalist Inc.