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Foam vs Obsidian: catalog facts
Foam	Obsidian
Free Free and open source with no subscription.	Free Free for everyone, including commercial use, in the vendor’s own words. Obsidian Sync and…
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser extension
Notes stored as standard Markdown files Wikilinks, backlinks, embeds and graph view	Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you control, readable without the app Linking, backlinks, tags, graph view and fast search across the vault
Requires Visual Studio Code No dedicated mobile app	The application is not open source, only the plugin ecosystem and the releases repository Syncing between devices means paying for Obsidian Sync or wiring up your own sync tool
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Browser extension
Open source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.