Obsidian help’s you develop your note-taking software skills.
It’s the 21st century, and the world has moved on from traditional paper note-taking. Now, the internet is filled with an array of best notetaking app’s that allow users to take notes digitally and store them in the cloud.
Obsidian is one such application and has recently garnered plenty of attention in the productivity space for its off grid approach by where the files are stored locally where the intention is to turn off the distractions and focus on your writing.
The team at Obsidian sell it as your “second brain” because of its unconventional yet brilliant data-storage methods which we discuss later.
What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a versatile note-taking software platform similar to Roam Research and Notion (you can check out the Notion review here), but with many unique, contemporary features. Though relatively new, it has gained plenty of attention by people looking to maximize their productivity and organize local markdown files.
The application works by allowing users to link their notes together in a mind-map fashion (shown below). Each idea or note can be linked to picture the interlinking relationships between the concepts.
It is similar to creating a personal wiki but boasts a much simpler and accessible user interface-not to mention its ability to work offline.
Is Obsidian Secure?
Unarguably, Obsidian’s best feature is that users can download it onto their computers and use it without needing a constant internet connection. We believe it is one of the best notetaking app’s.
Hence, Obsidian is perfect for offline users, or for people who would like to use it on the go in places where Wi-Fi is hard to come by or where they want to focus in on their writing.
Is Obsidian one of the most secure and best notetaking app’s?
The application also supports CommonMark and GitHub Flavoured Markdown (GFM). You can learn more here about mastering markdown (https://guides.github.com/features/mastering-markdown/). It allows for the creation of code fences with syntax highlighting, markdown tables, task lists, and strike through markdown text.
Additionally, Obsidian also supports hashtags, LaTeX math, footnotes, internal links, and the ability to use markdown expressions to embed notes and other files. The platform uses pre-made markdown files, which helps reduce the steepness of the learning curve.
It also boasts a simple and accessible user interface and ranks high in terms of user experience. You can check out more of the features here (https://obsidian.md/features)
Obsidian is a brilliant application to work with if you’re new to the world of markdown file organization software. The application runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux (AppImage and Snap). It does not work on iOS nor Android… yet. But the team have indicated this is in the pipeline.
Pros and Cons of Obsidian
As with every application, Obsidian has its own set of pros and cons. Below is an in-depth analysis of both:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| It is a lightweight and highly customizable application. | A major drawback of using Obsidian is that you can only access it through desktop. |
| Once installed, can be accessed anytime without the need for an active internet connection. | There is no mobile application available yet. However, Obsidian is relatively new, and users expect an application for smart devices to roll out sometime in the foreseeable future. |
| Obsidian is a fast-growing platform with new tools added regularly. | Obsidian still lacks some features that are offered by other apps with a similar constriction. However, because it is a relatively new application, we can expect to see many helpful updates and additions in due time. |
| The developers behind the app are extremely dedicated and actively consider user complaints. For this reason, you will find very few bugs or glitches when using the application. | This application lacks a WYSISYG editor (like Typora). |
| With Obsidian, there is no security threat. Users can safely play around with their files without worrying about the data being lost or transferred to third parties, which is a common issue with many other popular note-taking platforms, particularly those that run on cloud. | |
| Users can create mind-maps using existing markdown files. | |
| When running Obsidian, you can easily adjust your window panes and split existing application windows or open new ones and display them alongside the pre-existing panes. This makes content cross-linking easy and convenient. These panes can also be moved around and resized to easily customize your user experience to best suit your needs. | |
| You can also add helpful plug-ins and run them on Obsidian. These plug-ins include features like page preview, viewing backlinks, a tag pane, note bookmarking, and a command palette that allows users to use Obsidian without a mouse and solely through their keyboard. | |
| Users can easily record a voice memo and embed it directly into any note they like. | |
| The slideshow feature allows users to present their markdown notes as a slideshow. |
Pricing
Obsidian has a fantastic set of product plans for users to choose from. Below is a breakdown of these plans (https://obsidian.md/pricing):
1. Personal Plan
Obsidian’s Personal plan is 100% free of cost and is suitable for personal use. You do not need to make an account or register yourself on Obsidian’s website to use it. This plan also allows users access to plug-ins and API and offers brilliant community support in case an issue arises.
2. Catalyst Plan
The Catalyst plan starts at $25 but can be upgraded if needed for an additional cost. This plan requires one-time payment only and allows users to give product feedback and support the application’s development. It also bestows its users with special community badges and access to the exclusive dev channel.
3. Commercial
The Commercial plan costs $50 annually per user and is meant for large-scale commercial purposes. Potential clients can avail a 14-day free trial and get access to priority customer support. There are also many fantastic discounts offered for companies looking to buy in bulk. Those wishing to avail these discounts can reach out to Obsidian’s developers and request consideration.
Add-On Services
Obsidian also offers two brilliant optional add-on services called Sync and Publish.
1. Sync
Sync offers users end-to-end encryption, built-in version history, and priority email support. It was originally priced at $8 but now costs $4 only thanks to the lifetime early bird pricing and is billed annually.
2. Publish
With Obsidian Publish, users can selectively publish notes and host team collaborations. This service costs $16 when billed annually, or $8 with the lifetime early bird discount. Similar to Sync, it is billed annually.
Neither Sync nor Publish have been launched yet, but are expected to hit the market soon.
Is Obsidian one of the best notetaking app’s?
While Obsidian certainly has a long way to go, it deserves credit for coming this far. The best part about this application is that you can use it offline, knowing that your data will not leave your local files (ensuring that you back up regularly). For this reason if you are a private and don’t trust third parties then this is a benefit for you.
Is Obsidian Free?
While Obsidian offers paid versions for professionals, the basic version is free to use and is expected to remain this way forever. The fact that it is free without compromising on tools is another reason why Obsidian has become so popular as of late. It’s paid versions are remarkably affordable, too, and cost significantly lesser than other competing applications.
Additionally, Obsidian will offer additional plug-ins to tailor the application to suit your needs and boost your user experience.
Is Obsidian one of the most secure and best notetaking app’s?
All in all, Obsidian is a brilliant platform that offers the user a traditional note-taking opportunity, free from busy, feature rich distractions. This application has excellent security standards and guarantees privacy as well as protection from third-party data scrapers.
It is affordable, user-friendly, and sees regular updates that help make the application better. If you’re looking for a free-of-cost application to help you organize your markdown files without the need for a constant data connection, Obsidian might be what you need.
Check it out at www.Obsidian.md
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the point of Obsidian Notes?
Obsidian Notes is a markdown-based file reader that allows users to take down notes, annotate and add bi-directional links. It belongs to the domain of productivity applications domain that can be used to apply tags, use plugins and include backlinks.
2. How do you use Obsidian for class or meeting notes?
Obsidian offers a flexible way of organizing notes and information by using different levels and combinations of vault, folders and pages.
3. Should I use Notion or Obsidian?
Obsidian is a popular note-taking productivity application that allows users to utilize markdown language for their notes. With this tool, user data and notes are locally stored in the device. Notion is another notable note-taking software that employs a database structure. With Notion, the files are stored in the cloud.
4. Is Obsidian notes safe?
Since the user data in Obsidian only reside in a user’s device instead of being uploaded and maintained in the cloud, use of Obsidian does not pose any security threat. Obsidian users need not be concerned about the potential loss or unauthorized access of data.
5. Can Obsidian replace Evernote?
It is worth noting that Evernote has been a popular note-taking and productivity application and may have kicked-off the era of digital note-taking. However, Obsidian offers a more flexible means of taking down and keeping notes and its function of using bidirectional makes this tool a great alternative.
6. How do you connect Obsidian Notes?
Linking one note to another note in Obsidian is fairly easy. In the note where linkage will be made, the link key should be tapped twice and in the dialog box, type the name of the page or note to which the note will be linked.
7. Are Obsidian notes free?
Obsidian is free for personal use with the basic plan. Users can opt to support the developers by becoming a Catalyst user through a one time payment or donation. If users would want to have notes syncing, versioning and end-to-end encryption, a paid plan or subscription is also available.
8. How do I publish Obsidian notes?
Obsidian Publish is a paid service that allows users to publish their notes into a website.