Obsidian

Overview

Obsidian is a note-taking and knowledge management application that operates on a local folder of plain text Markdown files. Unlike cloud-based note apps, Obsidian keeps all data local by default, giving users full ownership and control over their notes. Its standout feature is the ability to create bidirectional links between notes, building a personal knowledge graph.

Key Features

• Local-first storage — All notes stored as plain Markdown files in a local vault
• Bidirectional linking — Create links between notes that are tracked in both directions
• Graph view — Visual representation of connections between notes in a network graph
• Backlinks panel — See all notes that reference the current note
• Plugins ecosystem — Extensive community plugins for customizing functionality
• Offline support — Full functionality without internet connection
• Multiple themes — Customizable appearance with community themes
• Canvas — Infinite canvas for visual organization of notes, links, and media
• Dataview plugin — Query and display notes as dynamic tables and lists

Pricing

Free for personal use. Commercial licenses and paid sync/publish add-ons available.