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?.
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.
Notion
Free
Free
No subscription charge
AvailabilityGlobal availability; local terms apply
Personal use has unlimited blocks. Multiple-member Free workspaces have a block limit.
SourcePlus
Check current price
Per member; monthly or annual billing
AvailabilityUS checkout not verified
Live page returned GBP prices with an ambiguous billing toggle. A verified USD checkout quote is required.
SourceBusiness
Check current price
Per member; monthly or annual billing
AvailabilityUS checkout not verified
Includes more AI and permission features than Plus. Exact USD amount withheld because locale and billing were not established.
SourceEnterprise
Check current price
Sales quote
AvailabilityRegion dependent
Contact-sales pricing.
Source
Obsidian
Core
Free
No account or paid license required
AvailabilityGlobal
Free for personal and commercial use.
SourceSync Standard — monthly
USD 5.00/month
Billed monthly per user
AvailabilityUSD list price
1 vault, 1 GB storage and 5 MB maximum file.
SourceSync Standard — annual
USD 48.00/year
Billed annually per user
AvailabilityUSD list price
Annual total calculated from the advertised $4 per month billed annually.
SourceSync Plus — monthly
USD 10.00/month
Billed monthly per user
AvailabilityUSD list price
10 vaults, 10 GB storage and 200 MB maximum file.
SourcePublish — annual
USD 96.00/year
Billed annually per site
AvailabilityUSD list price
Annual total calculated from $8 per month billed annually; separate from Sync.
SourceFeatures and limits
Documented differences. An unverified answer means we do not have enough evidence.
Notion
Desktop apps for Windows and macOS with web and mobile access.
Obsidian
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps are documented.
Offline use
Notion
All plans can download pages in desktop and mobile apps; browsers do not support this offline mode.
Obsidian
The local vault remains available without a connection; Sync merges changes when connectivity returns.
Offline preparation
Notion
Subpages need separate downloads. A downloaded database initially includes 50 rows from its first view.
Obsidian
Not yet verified for this product.
Collaboration
Notion
Pages support view, comment and edit permissions; guests need a Notion account to collaborate.
Obsidian
All collaborators need Sync. Shared vaults do not provide live co-editing cursors or fine-grained permissions.
Export
Notion
Pages and workspaces can export as HTML, Markdown and CSV; an export cannot instantly restore a workspace.
Obsidian
Markdown files are directly accessible. Vault settings and extensions live separately in the .obsidian folder.
Project portability
Notion
Desktop and web import Markdown, Word, CSV and other formats. Evernote notes import as database items.
Obsidian
API import converts databases and formulas to Bases with limitations. ZIP import does not preserve databases.
Free plan limits
Notion
Individual blocks are unlimited; Free uploads are limited to 5 MB per file and history to 7 days.
Obsidian
Core use is free without a mandatory account. Sync and Publish are optional services.
AI features
Notion
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
Business and Enterprise support database page-level access rules.
Obsidian
Not yet verified for this product.
Export scope
Notion
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
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
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
Commercial use is free; the paid commercial license is optional support.
Team limit
Notion
Not yet verified for this product.
Obsidian
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.