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Obsidian vs Joplin: catalog facts
Obsidian	Joplin
Free Free for everyone, including commercial use, in the vendor’s own words. Obsidian Sync and…	Free The applications are free and open source. Joplin Cloud is an optional paid sync service…
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser extension	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser extension
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	Offline first: all data stays on the device, so notes work without a connection End-to-end encrypted sync through Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, S3 or Joplin Cloud
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	The editor and interface feel less polished than commercial note apps Setting up sync and encryption takes a few steps the first time
Downloadable app, Browser extension	Downloadable app, Browser extension
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: AGPL-3.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

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