Searching "download Obsidian app" often means you have heard about its linked-notes system and want to try it before trusting it with your journal or research. Obsidian is developed by Dynalist Inc. and is free to use personally, with paid add-ons only for optional sync and publishing services. It is genuinely cross-platform, with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, all reading the same folder of markdown files. This page walks through grabbing the right build and what the free tier actually includes.
What the Free Tier Covers
Obsidian's core app, community plugins, themes, and local graph view are all free with no feature gate — Dynalist only charges for its optional cloud Sync and Publish services. Your notes live as ordinary .md files in a folder you choose, so nothing is locked into a proprietary database.
The mobile apps mirror the desktop plugin system, but not every community plugin is mobile-compatible, so check a plugin's page before relying on it for phone-based note-taking.
Who ends up using Obsidian
Writers, researchers, and students who want a permanent, portable note archive gravitate toward Obsidian.
- Researchers building a linked knowledge base of notes, citations, and reading summaries
- Writers outlining novels or long projects with backlinks between characters and plot threads
- Students organizing lecture notes into a searchable, interconnected personal wiki
Before you install
A couple of things worth knowing about Obsidian before you request the link: it covers Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, so pick the right build for the machine you're setting up. And on pricing, Obsidian has a free tier plus a paid upgrade; the free build below is the full, genuine app, not a time-limited trial. It's developed and maintained by Dynalist Inc..
System requirements
- WindowsWindows 10 or 11 (64-bit); older 7/8.1 builds usually still run but no longer get official support
- macOSa recent macOS release — check the download page for the current minimum version, since Apple Silicon vs Intel builds sometimes differ
- Linuxmost current 64-bit distributions; look for a native .deb/.rpm/AppImage or a package in your distro's own repository
- Androida recent Android build installed from the Play Store or the developer's own APK
- iOSa recent iOS release installed from the App Store
It's a lightweight tool, so there's no serious CPU/RAM/storage requirement beyond what its OS already needs to run comfortably.
Quick steps
- Download the installer for your device: desktop, Android, or iOS
- Create or open a folder to use as your Vault
- Browse Community Plugins if you want extensions beyond the default markdown editor
Obsidian: the honest trade-offs
- Notes stored as local plain-text markdown files, not a database
- Large community library of plugins and themes
- Works fully offline with no account required
- Sync and Publish services require a paid subscription
- Not every community plugin works on the mobile apps
This links to Obsidian's official releases, so plugins and themes you install later come from the same verified source the app checks against.
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Keeping Obsidian up to date
Obsidian usually has a built-in updater or store-based auto-update (Microsoft Store / Mac App Store / Play Store, depending on platform); if you installed it manually, re-downloading the current build from the official source is the fallback. Sticking to the developer's own distribution channel — which is what this page links to — means you're never stuck on an old build with unpatched bugs just because a mirror site stopped updating its copy.
Features, install steps, alternatives and more detail live on the main Obsidian page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to use Obsidian?
No, the app works fully offline with no sign-up required unless you want optional Sync or Publish.
Can I move my Obsidian notes to another app later?
Yes, since everything is stored as plain markdown files, you can open or migrate your vault with any text editor or compatible app.
