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Obsidian vs Heptabase: catalog facts
Obsidian	Heptabase
Free Free for everyone, including commercial use, in the vendor’s own words. Obsidian Sync and…	Paid Paid subscription, no permanent free tier mentioned.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser extension	Windows, macOS, Web
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	Whiteboard and card format suits visual thinkers and complex research Cross-platform availability across desktop and web
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	Paid subscription required to use Visual, card-based workflow takes longer to set up than plain text notes
Downloadable app, Browser extension	Downloadable app, Web application
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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