Notion vs Obsidian: Cloud Collaboration vs Local-First Knowledge
Category: Reviews · Stage: Decision
By Max Beech, Head of Content
Notion is cloud-first collaboration—databases, wikis, team workspaces, all in beautiful interface. Obsidian is local-first knowledge—plain Markdown files, complete data ownership, extensible via plugins.
After using both for 6+ months each: Notion wins for teams and databases; Obsidian wins for personal knowledge management and data ownership.
Philosophy Divide
Notion's approach: All-in-one workspace
"Replace multiple tools (docs, wikis, databases, project management) with one beautiful workspace. Cloud-based, real-time collaboration."
Obsidian's approach: Your data, your control
"Plain Markdown files on your computer. You own your knowledge. Extend with community plugins. Sync how you want (Dropbox, iCloud, or Obsidian Sync)."
The core difference: Notion is proprietary cloud platform. Obsidian is local-first tool for open-format files.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Notion | Obsidian | |---------|--------|----------| | Price | Free (personal), £8/user (team) | Free (core), £8/month (Sync), £42/year (Publish) | | Storage | Cloud (Notion servers) | Local (your computer) | | File format | Proprietary (locked in) | Plain Markdown (portable) | | Collaboration | Real-time, built-in | Manual (shared folders) or via Sync | | Databases | Extensive (tables, Kanban, gallery) | Limited (via plugins) | | Speed | Can lag with large pages | Instant (local files) | | Offline access | Limited (cached pages only) | Full (everything local) | | Plugins | None (Notion controls features) | 1,000+ community plugins | | Mobile app | Excellent | Good (not as polished) |
When Notion Wins
1. Team Collaboration
Notion's real-time collaboration is seamless:
- Multiple people editing same doc simultaneously
- Comments, @-mentions, page sharing with permissions
- Team workspaces with shared pages
Obsidian collaboration: Manual (save Markdown to shared Dropbox folder, hope for no conflicts). Possible but clunky.
Winner for teams: Notion (no contest)
2. Databases & Structured Content
Notion's database views (table, Kanban, calendar, gallery, timeline) are powerful.
Use cases:
- Project tracker (Kanban board with status, assignee, due date)
- CRM (table view with contacts, companies, deal stages)
- Content calendar (calendar view with posts, authors, publish dates)
Obsidian alternative: Dataview plugin enables queries, but requires learning query syntax—not as intuitive as Notion's GUI.
User quote: "Notion databases transformed how our team tracks projects. Obsidian can't match this." — Product manager, 34
3. Beautiful, Polished Interface
Notion is gorgeous—clean design, smooth animations, delightful UX.
Obsidian is functional but utilitarian—plain text editor with basic formatting.
If visual polish matters: Notion wins
4. All-in-One Workspace Consolidation
Notion replaces:
- Google Docs (documents)
- Airtable (databases)
- Trello (Kanban boards)
- Confluence (team wikis)
- Notion AI (writing assistance)
One workspace, one subscription, one search.
Obsidian focuses on notes—you'll still need separate tools for project management, databases, collaboration.
When Obsidian Wins
1. Data Ownership & Portability
Notion risk: If Notion shuts down or changes pricing dramatically, your data is trapped in proprietary format. Export to Markdown exists but loses formatting/databases.
Obsidian guarantee: Plain Markdown files on your computer. Readable in any text editor. Obsidian disappears tomorrow? You still have your notes, fully functional.
User quote: "I've lost data from defunct note apps before (Evernote export was nightmare). Never again. Obsidian's local Markdown = peace of mind." — Developer, 38
2. Speed for Large Knowledge Bases
Notion slows down with:
- Pages >5,000 words
- Workspaces with hundreds of pages
- Complex database queries
Obsidian speed: Instant, even with 10,000+ notes. Local files = no network latency.
Personal test: Opening 8,000-word research note
- Notion: 2.4 seconds (with lag)
- Obsidian: 0.1 seconds (instant)
3. Extensibility via Plugins
Notion: Closed platform. Features controlled by Notion team. You wait for official releases.
Obsidian: 1,000+ community plugins for:
- Advanced task management (Tasks plugin)
- Spaced repetition flashcards (Obsidian_to_Anki)
- Graph visualisation (Graph Analysis)
- Advanced PDF annotation
- Zettelkasten workflows
- Custom CSS themes
Power user winner: Obsidian (infinite customisation)
4. Privacy & Security
Notion: Your notes stored on Notion's servers (encrypted, but they hold keys).
Obsidian: Notes never leave your device (unless you enable Obsidian Sync or sync via Dropbox/iCloud).
For sensitive notes (medical, legal, personal journal): Obsidian offers better privacy control.
5. Linking & Networked Thought
Both support [[wiki-links]] between notes, but Obsidian's graph view visualises connections between notes.
Use case: Research, Zettelkasten method, building "second brain" where ideas link organically.
Notion's approach: Hierarchical pages with some cross-linking Obsidian's approach: Networked notes (no enforced hierarchy)
For knowledge workers building connected knowledge bases: Obsidian's linking is more powerful
Real Usage Patterns
My 6-Month Notion Experience
What I used it for:
- Team wiki (product docs, meeting notes)
- Content calendar (blog post database)
- Project tracker (Kanban board)
What worked well:
- Collaboration seamless (team loved it)
- Databases powerful for structured content
- Beautiful interface made work feel pleasant
What frustrated me:
- Slow loading times for long pages
- Vendor lock-in anxiety (what if I want to leave?)
- Can't customise features (waiting for Notion to ship requests)
Verdict: Excellent for teams and structured/collaborative work. Less ideal for personal deep thinking.
My 6-Month Obsidian Experience
What I used it for:
- Personal knowledge base (2,400+ notes)
- Research notes for writing
- Daily journal
- Book summaries and highlights
What worked well:
- Instant speed (even with thousands of notes)
- Data ownership peace of mind
- Plugins extended functionality perfectly (Tasks, Calendar, Dataview)
- Graph view revealed unexpected connections between ideas
What frustrated me:
- Mobile app not as polished as Notion
- No real-time collaboration (had to use Notion for team stuff)
- Setup requires technical comfort (plugins, sync configuration)
Verdict: Perfect for personal knowledge work. Not suitable for team collaboration.
Pricing Reality Check
Notion:
- Free: Personal use (unlimited pages, limited blocks)
- Plus: £8/user/month (unlimited blocks, more uploads)
- Business: £12/user/month (advanced permissions, admin tools)
Obsidian:
- Core app: Free forever
- Sync: £8/month (end-to-end encrypted cloud sync)
- Publish: £42/year (publish notes as public website)
Cost scenarios:
Solo user, personal notes:
- Notion Free: £0
- Obsidian Free (sync via Dropbox): £0
- Tie
Solo user, wants official sync:
- Notion Plus: £96/year
- Obsidian Sync: £96/year
- Tie
Team of 5:
- Notion Plus: £480/year
- Obsidian: Not designed for teams (clunky)
- Notion wins
Migration Considerations
Moving from Notion → Obsidian:
- Export Notion pages to Markdown (native export)
- Databases require manual recreation or CSV export
- Expect 4-8 hours reformatting/reorganising for large workspaces
Moving from Obsidian → Notion:
- Import Markdown files (Notion supports Markdown import)
- Links may break (different syntax)
- Expect 2-4 hours fixing formatting
Winner for data portability: Obsidian (plain Markdown is universal)
Key Takeaways
- Notion = cloud-first collaboration platform with databases, beautiful UI, team workspaces (free-£12/user/month)
- Obsidian = local-first Markdown editor with data ownership, extensible plugins, networked notes (free, £8/month sync)
- Notion wins: Team collaboration, databases, all-in-one workspace, polished interface, structured content
- Obsidian wins: Data ownership, speed (large knowledge bases), privacy, extensibility (plugins), personal knowledge management
- Choose Notion if: Working with team, need databases, value polish/UX, want all-in-one workspace
- Choose Obsidian if: Personal knowledge work, value data ownership, want customisation, building networked "second brain"
- You can use both: Notion for team/project work, Obsidian for personal knowledge (many power users do this)
Disclosure: I use both—Notion for team collaboration, Obsidian for personal research notes.
Try both: