Obsidian vs Joplin

Obsidian: what it's good at

Obsidian stores your notes as ordinary Markdown files in a folder on your own disk, then layers linking, backlinks, graph views and a large plugin ecosystem on top. Free for personal use, with no lock-in — your notes remain readable in any text editor.

• Plain Markdown files stored locally
• Bidirectional links and graph view
• Large community plugin ecosystem
• Free for personal use

Joplin: what it's good at

Joplin is an open-source note and to-do application with end-to-end encryption and the freedom to sync through whichever backend you prefer, including Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud or WebDAV. A strong option for anyone leaving a proprietary notes app.

• End-to-end encrypted synchronisation
• Sync via Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud or WebDAV
• Markdown notes with attachments
• Web clipper browser extension

Which should you choose?

Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.

Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. If open source matters to you, Joplin publishes its source code and Obsidian does not.

We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Is Obsidian better than Joplin?

Neither is universally better. Obsidian linked note-taking over plain Markdown files you own, while Joplin open-source encrypted notebook with flexible sync. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.

Are both really free?

Obsidian is free and Joplin is open source. Both can be downloaded without paying.

Can I install both?

Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.