Obsidian stores your notes as plain Markdown files in a local folder you control so your data never has to touch a server and stays readable in any text editor. That local-first design is its biggest privacy strength: nothing is uploaded unless you choose to enable a paid sync or publishing service. The catch is that the desktop and mobile apps, along with the Sync service, are closed source so you are trusting Dynalist Inc. rather than an auditable codebase. End-to-end encryption is available but only through the paid Obsidian Sync add-on; the local files themselves sit unencrypted on disk. It is an excellent, offline-capable notes tool, just not a fully open or encrypted-by-default one.
Obsidian
Local-first Markdown notes and knowledge base
obsidian.md
FreemiumE2E EncryptedWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSCanada
Pricing The core app is free for personal and commercial use; optional Obsidian Sync runs roughly $4-8/month and Publish about $8-10/month, with a commercial license available for larger organizations.
Strengths
- Notes are stored as local plain-text Markdown you fully own and can back up or sync however you like
- Works entirely offline with no account required for the core app
- Optional Obsidian Sync offers end-to-end encrypted syncing across devices
- Huge plugin and theme ecosystem for extending the app
Considerations
- The apps and Sync service are closed source and cannot be independently audited
- End-to-end encryption is locked behind the paid Sync subscription
- Local note files are stored unencrypted on disk by default
Listed in Notes
