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Obsidian vs QOwnNotes: catalog facts
Obsidian	QOwnNotes
Free Free for everyone, including commercial use, in the vendor’s own words. Obsidian Sync and…	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser extension	macOS, Linux
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	Notes are plain Markdown files, so nothing is locked in a proprietary format Works with Nextcloud and ownCloud Notes, or any file sync you already use
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	Many of the better features assume a Nextcloud or ownCloud server The interface is dense and Qt-flavoured rather than native anywhere
Downloadable app, Browser extension	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
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 21, 2026

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