The Best Free Obsidian Alternative

What Is Obsidian?

Obsidian is a note-taking software that aims to organize information and function as a second brain application for knowledge management. Created by Erica Xu and Shida Li during the quarantine period of Covid-19 in 2020, the outliner tool has gained traction with over 50,000 members in their Discord community, all while still remaining as a two-man team.

The inspiration behind Obsidian is for it to be the ultimate personal knowledge base tool to help people better organize their information. Using Markdown language, you can create notes in Obsidian and use links to show relationships between your information. 

The Graph View lets you visualize relationships between your notes, helping you to connect related clusters of information together for a better note-taking experience.

Obsidian is often compared to RoamResearch and Whimsical app, and rightly so as it offers advanced features at a competitive price point. Files in Obsidian are stored locally on your computer by default. This makes it a useful and safe tool to use if data privacy is something that you care strongly about.

What Are Some Features of Obsidian Software?

If you’re familiar with personal knowledge management tools such as Whimsical and Roam Research, then Obsidian's features should be familiar to you. We’d like to think of it more as a cross between an outliner and a second-brain application.

Here are some of the key features of Obsidian:

Local Storage: Obsidian stores all notes locally, allowing users to access their information even when they are offline. This eliminates the need for an internet connection and ensures that data is always available.

Markdown Support: Obsidian supports the popular Markdown format, making it easy to format and structure notes in a readable and organized manner.

Linking: Obsidian allows users to create links between notes, making it easy to create a web of interconnected information. Users can link to specific headings, paragraphs, or even specific words within notes.

Graph View: Obsidian's graph view allows users to visualize the relationships between their notes in a graphical format. This makes it easy to see how different notes are connected and to navigate between them.

Customizable Shortcuts: Obsidian allows users to create custom keyboard shortcuts, making it possible to quickly access frequently used notes or functions.

Plugins: Obsidian has a growing collection of plugins that can be used to extend the functionality of the software. For example, users can add support for code highlighting, mind maps, or task management.

Multi-Platform: Obsidian is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Version Control: Obsidian integrates with popular version control systems such as Git, allowing users to track changes to their notes over time and collaborate with others.

Multi-Language Support: Obsidian supports multiple languages, making it possible for users to write notes in their preferred language.

Customizable Themes: Obsidian allows users to customize the appearance of the software, including the background color, font, and syntax highlighting.

At the end of the day, the complexity of your Obsidian workspace depends on how many plugins you choose to use. The charm of Obsidian comes in its customizability.

What Is Obsidian Good For?

Obsidian is a personal knowledge management software that is designed for individuals who are looking to organize and connect their thoughts and ideas. With its focus on linking ideas together, Obsidian is ideal for creating a personal knowledge base or a company-wide knowledge management system.

Obsidian is a good tool for users who take notes and want to organize their thoughts in a second-brain app. With its local storage capabilities, it is also a good option for users who need to do offline work from time to time.

While Obsidian is a powerful tool, the interface may seem intimidating to beginners. However, with a little bit of time and effort, users can quickly become comfortable with the software and start reaping the benefits of its powerful features.

Overall, Obsidian is a useful tool for individuals and organizations looking to create a personal knowledge base or knowledge management system. Its focus on linking ideas together and local storage capabilities make it a good option for users who take notes and need to do offline work from time to time.

What Are Some Limitations of Obsidian?

Obsidian is a good personal knowledge base tool, but it lacks advanced features that can make it a more holistic software.

Here are some additional limitations of Obsidian:

Lack of Collaboration: Obsidian does not have any built-in communication features, such as chat or video conferencing, which makes it difficult for users to collaborate on projects together. This can be a drawback for teams who need to communicate frequently and work together on projects.

Limited Search Capabilities: Obsidian's search capabilities are limited and may not be suitable for users who have a large number of notes and links. This can make it difficult to quickly find the information you need, especially if you have a large and complex knowledge base.

No Mobile App: Obsidian does not have a mobile app, making it difficult for users to access their notes and information while on the go.

Steep Learning Curve: Obsidian has a steeper learning curve compared to other note-taking and knowledge management tools. Users will need to invest time and effort to learn how to use the software effectively, especially if they are new to markdown or local storage.

Limited Formatting Options: Obsidian's formatting options are limited compared to other note-taking and knowledge management tools. This can make it difficult for users to format and structure their notes in a way that suits their needs.

How Much Does Obsidian Cost?

Let’s get one thing out of the way - Obsidian's pricing is expensive. This is because by signing up for a paid plan, you’re actually supporting the development of the software.

While the free plan is good enough for you to get started with, you could consider upgrading to a Catalyst plan for a one-time payment of $25. Feature-wise, this just helps you be more with the community, with access to special badges and a developers channel.

For Commercial use, expect to pay about $50 per year.

When it comes to Pricing, Taskade would be a better Obsidian alternative as Taskade's free plan is loaded with features to help you get more work done.

Check out our list of the best outliner tools if you're trying to find an Obsidian alternative!

What Is Taskade?

Taskade is an online productivity and collaboration tool that was founded by John Xie, Dionis Loire, and Stan Chang in 2017. The Y Combinator-backed startup aims to help remote teams and individuals get work done faster and smarter.

Taskade is where remote teams get work done. With Taskade, you can organize projects and tasks, change between multiple project views, automate repetitive workflows, collaborate via built-in video chat with your team, and more, via an all-in-one unified workspace. 

Get a headstart on your projects and find a suitable structure for your notes via Taskade’s versatile collection of templates. Simply choose from a wide variety of templates and add them to your projects to get started instantly!

Taskade is a supercharged productivity app that both individuals and teams can use to collaborate on projects in real-time.

Taskade is the best free Obsidian alternative. Get started instantly for free today.

Key Features of Taskade

• Project Views. Visualize your projects in several different ways. Cycle between the List, Mind Map, Org Chart, and Board views to work the way you want. 

  • List View. This is the default view on Taskade. Create new lists here.
  • Mind Map View. This view lets you work in a horizontal tree-structured manner and map out what you have in mind.
  • Board View. This view lets you work horizontally like a Kanban board. Visualize your workflow and tasks in this full-width view.
  • Action View. Work in table view and stay organized with your task due dates, and more.
  • Org Chart View. Break down larger tasks into smaller ones to help you get things done.

• Zoom In, Zoom Out. Get a bird’s-eye view of the workflow by zooming out on all project views, or zoom in to focus on a specific area.
• Fold/Unfold. Fold (collapse) a parent task/bullet element to hide its subtasks. Indent outline elements with ⌨️ Tab and unfold lists with ⌨️ Shift+Tab.
• Real-time Communication. Chat and video conference with your team while collaborating in real-time on the same page. 
• 500+ Templates. Choose from 500+ templates across 26 categories to improve your productivity and workflows. Customize existing templates or create new ones across your workspaces.
• Multi-Select. Select and format multiple blocks or bulk assign them as tasks to other team members. You can also copy, paste, or indent selected blocks.

• Customize Sub-Tasks. Customize the format of your sub-tasks at individual levels. Choose from headings, numbered lists, shapes, and more.
• Recurring Tasks. Add due dates with start and end times to tasks within your project and set them to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly.
• Move Tasks. Move and copy selected tasks to other projects across any workspace. You’ll receive a pop-up notification on completion.
• User Roles & Permissions. Manage collaborators and assign user roles/editing privileges (Owner, Admin, Editor, Checker, Viewer).

• Sort Tasks. Sort sub-tasks/children elements by completed/uncompleted stats or the due date. Task sorting can be accessed from a convenient pop-up menu.
• Search. Search within projects or globally across workspaces and subspaces. Instantly browse and jump between projects anywhere in the Taskade.
• Keyboard Shortcuts. Navigate projects, create content blocks, reorder elements, and complete tasks using a set of handy keyboard shortcuts.

• Team Calendar. Aggregate all tasks and projects in a shared calendar. The Taskade calendar integrates with Google (two-way), Apple, and Outlook. 
• Reorder Tasks. Lists in Taskade aren’t set in stone. Reorder tasks and find them a new home with intuitive drag-and-drop mechanics.
• Project History. See all the changes made by you and other collaborators. Click on the entries to navigate to the edited items within the project.
• Version History. Taskade saves snapshots of your project so that you can restore a previous version of your project with a single click.

• Export and Print. You can export your projects as plain text or markdown files. Attach them to emails, presentations, or for print.

• Cloud File Upload. Share files directly from Google Drive, Dropbox, Instagram, and Box in your projects with our integrations.
• Breakdown Larger Tasks. Organize your thoughts with Taskade’s unlimited hierarchy to break down large projects into tasks.
• Quick Search. Use CMD / CTRL + K to jump between any projects within Taskade web and apps.

For an exhaustive list of Taskade’s features, click here.

Taskade Pros

• Free-forever plan is loaded with features
• Real-time collaboration within the same project 
• Free built-in video call and chat function in each project
• Customizable templates to give you a headstart
• Work and chat in the same window, in the same app
• Frequent updates based on user/your feedback and suggestions
• Tabbed workflow for working with multiple Projects

Taskade Cons

• No custom APIs (yet)

Taskade Pricing

Taskade Free 

• Single workspace with 5 active projects and 250 tasks per month
• 5 team members included with unlimited project sharing
• 5,000 AI words per month
• Access to 500+ free templates

Taskade Pro – From $19/month

• 2 workspaces with unlimited projects for every team and client
• 20 team members included for a flat monthly price
• 50,000 AI words per month

Taskade Business – From $49/month

• 10 workspaces with unlimited projects for every team and client
• 50 team members included for a flat monthly price
• 250,000 AI words per month
• Zapier integration

Taskade Ultimate – From $99/month

• Unlimited workspaces for your teams, clients, and organization
• 100 team members included for a flat monthly price
• Unlimited AI words per month
• Secure and simplify access with Single Sign On (SSO) through OKTA, Google, Azure, and more

Is Taskade Right for You?

Taskade can be used by individuals and teams working from anywhere. Use Taskade individually or collaborate with your team for weekly agendas, team meetings, note-taking, project management, product roadmaps, and more. 

Make use of customizable board views to visualize your projects into digestible smaller tasks. Multiple board views are available even on Taskade’s free plan, allowing you to get more work done the smarter way. 

Collaborate with your team in real-time with free and unlimited chat and video conferencing available on every project. Automatic syncing ensures that your data is always up to date across devices.

Our customizable templates are available even with our free plan. Find the perfect template to help you get started with your project, and customize it to fit your needs!

Taskade is the simplest way to create task lists, checklists, and workflows. Manage projects and documentation efficiently and get more work done the simple way with Taskade.

Taskade is the best free Obsidian alternative. Try Taskade for free today.