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Obsidian vs NotesMD CLI: catalog facts
Obsidian	NotesMD CLI
Free Free for everyone, including commercial use, in the vendor’s own words. Obsidian Sync and…	Free Free and open source under the MIT license.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser extension	Command line
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	Interact with Obsidian vaults from the terminal Can run without Obsidian open
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	Designed for Obsidian vaults
Downloadable app, Browser extension	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
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 October 8, 2026

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