Your comparison workspace. Put two or three tools from the same category side by side.
There is a researched guide for these apps. Read Notion vs Obsidian: shared workspace or personal knowledge base? .
Prices & plans Features and limits Worth a second opinion? Send this page to someone choosing their next tool.
SOFTWARE SIGNAL Notion vs Obsidian www.softwaresignal.net
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Shared documents with structured databases
A personal knowledge base in local files
Prices & plans Published prices keep their original currency and billing terms. Taxes, promotions and checkout prices can differ.
Free Free
No subscription charge
Availability Global availability; local terms apply
Personal use has unlimited blocks. Multiple-member Free workspaces have a block limit.
Source Plus Check current price
Per member; monthly or annual billing
Availability US checkout not verified
Live page returned GBP prices with an ambiguous billing toggle. A verified USD checkout quote is required.
Source Business Check current price
Per member; monthly or annual billing
Availability US checkout not verified
Includes more AI and permission features than Plus. Exact USD amount withheld because locale and billing were not established.
Source Enterprise Check current price
Sales quote
Availability Region dependent
Contact-sales pricing.
Source Core Free
No account or paid license required
Availability Global
Free for personal and commercial use.
Source Sync Standard — monthly USD 5.00/month
Billed monthly per user
Availability USD list price
1 vault, 1 GB storage and 5 MB maximum file.
Source Sync Standard — annual USD 48.00/year
Billed annually per user
Availability USD list price
Annual total calculated from the advertised $4 per month billed annually.
Source Sync Plus — monthly USD 10.00/month
Billed monthly per user
Availability USD list price
10 vaults, 10 GB storage and 200 MB maximum file.
Source Publish — annual USD 96.00/year
Billed annually per site
Availability USD list price
Annual total calculated from $8 per month billed annually; separate from Sync.
Source Features and limits Row headings group related topics. Each answer keeps its specific scope. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Notion Devices
Desktop apps for Windows and macOS with web and mobile access.
Obsidian Devices
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps are documented.
Offline use Notion Offline access
All plans can download pages in desktop and mobile apps; browsers do not support this offline mode.
Obsidian Offline access
The local vault remains available without a connection; Sync merges changes when connectivity returns.
Offline preparation Notion Offline preparation
Subpages need separate downloads. A downloaded database initially includes 50 rows from its first view.
Obsidian Not yet verified for this product.
Collaboration Notion Sharing
Pages support view, comment and edit permissions; guests need a Notion account. Check whether an invite adds a guest or a paid member.
Notion's newer FAQ says organization-domain invitees become paid members regardless of guest limits. Another FAQ on the same page still ties conversion to exceeding the guest limit. Verify the invitation's role and cost before sending.
Obsidian Shared vaults
All collaborators need Sync. Shared vaults do not provide live co-editing cursors or fine-grained permissions.
Export Notion Export
Pages and workspaces can export as HTML, Markdown and CSV; an export cannot instantly restore a workspace.
Obsidian Portability
Markdown files are directly accessible. Vault settings and extensions live separately in the .obsidian folder.
Project portability Notion Import
Desktop and web import Markdown, Word, CSV and other formats. Evernote notes import as database items.
Obsidian Notion migration
API import converts databases and formulas to Bases with limitations. ZIP import does not preserve databases.
Free plan limits Notion Free plan limits
Individual blocks are unlimited; Free uploads are limited to 5 MB per file and history to 7 days.
Obsidian Core app cost
Core use is free without a mandatory account. Sync and Publish are optional services.
AI features Notion AI entitlement
Free and Plus include an AI trial. Business lists Notion Agent and AI Meeting Notes.
Obsidian Not yet verified for this product.
Database access Notion Database access
Business and Enterprise support database page-level access rules.
Obsidian Not yet verified for this product.
Export scope Notion Export scope
Exports omit pages the exporter cannot access; whole-workspace export is available on desktop or web.
Obsidian Not yet verified for this product.
Notion Not yet verified for this product.
Obsidian Storage format
Notes are Markdown text in a local folder and can be edited with other text editors.
Privacy and storage Notion Not yet verified for this product.
Obsidian Sync privacy
Official Sync documents end-to-end encryption; local-only use does not send notes to Obsidian.
Use at work Notion Not yet verified for this product.
Obsidian Use at work
Commercial use is free; the paid commercial license is optional support.
Team limit Notion Not yet verified for this product.
Obsidian Team limit
A shared vault supports at most 20 collaborators according to the current help page.
This workspace aligns existing research. It does not declare a winner or treat missing evidence as a missing feature. Read the methodology .
