Obsidian is a personal knowledge management and note-taking software application that operates on Markdown files.2 It allows users to make internal links for notes and then to visualize the connections as a graph. It is designed to help users organize and structure their thoughts and knowledge in a flexible, non-linear way.3 The software is free for personal use, with commercial licenses and hosted services such as Obsidian Publish and Obsidian Sync available as paid add-ons.4
Obsidian is developed by Dynalist Inc., a company founded by Shida Li and Erica Xu. The application stores notes as plain-text Markdown files in a local folder called a "vault", allowing users full control over their data.5 It supports a wide range of plugins and themes created by its open-source community.6
Obsidian was created by Shida Li and Erica Xu, who previously developed the outliner application Dynalist.7 The first public version was released in March 2020 as a desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux.8 The application quickly gained a following among users interested in the Zettelkasten method and personal knowledge management workflows.9
Mobile versions for iOS and Android were released in 2021.10 In October 2022, the application reached version 1.0, which included a new default theme, improved tab support, and a redesigned settings interface.11
Obsidian introduced Obsidian Publish, a paid service for publishing notes as a website, and Obsidian Sync, an end-to-end encrypted synchronization service.12
Obsidian stores all notes as plain-text Markdown files in a local folder on the user's device, referred to as a "vault".13 This approach gives users complete ownership of their data and allows notes to be opened with any text editor.
A core feature of Obsidian is its support for internal links between notes using a [[wikilink]] syntax.14 These links create a network of connected notes that can be visualized through a built-in graph view.15
Obsidian supports an extensive plugin system that allows third-party developers to extend the application's functionality.16 As of 2024, the community plugin repository contains over 1,500 plugins.17
Obsidian has received generally favorable reviews from technology publications. The Verge praised the application for its flexibility and local-first approach, noting that "Obsidian is a powerful note-taking app that gives you full control of your data."2 PC Magazine awarded it an Editors' Choice designation, highlighting its linking capabilities and customizability, though noting a steep learning curve for new users.3
The application has been compared to other note-taking tools such as Notion, Roam Research, and Logseq. Commentators have noted that Obsidian differentiates itself through its local-first storage model and emphasis on user data ownership.18 However, critics have pointed out that the proprietary nature of the application itself limits user freedom compared to fully open-source alternatives.19