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Goodnotes vs Obsidian

Goodnotes

goodnotes.com

Obsidian

obsidian.md

Side by side

FigureGoodnotesObsidian
Price from$1/mo$4.17/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trialYes—
Open source——
WebYes—
WindowsYesYes
macOSYesYes
Linux—Yes
iOSYesYes
AndroidYesYes
Plans published136
Spec score · Note-taking apps9.5 (#2)9.5 (#3)
FoundedLinkedIn lists Goodnotes’ founding year as 2011.2020
Free planYesYes
IntegrationsThe help center documents automatic backup to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or WebDAV on iOS and iPadOS.Notion,Airtable,Microsoft OneNote,Evernote,Apple Notes,Apple Journal,Google Keep,Bear,Craft,Roam Research,Logseq,Tomboy,Gnote
Note sharingYesYes
Offline accessYesYes
Supported platformsweb,windows,macos,ios,androidWindows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android,Chrome extension
Real-time collaborationYesYes
Storage limit51

Plans

Goodnotes

  • FreeFree
  • Essential$11.99 a year
  • Pro$35.99 a year
  • AI Pass$9.99 a month
  • Teams$120 a year
  • EnterprisePriced on request
  • EnterprisePrice not published
  • Special EditionPriced on request
  • Special EditionPrice not published
  • Goodnotes Essential$11.99 a year

Goodnotes pricing →

Obsidian

  • Sync Standard$5 a month
  • Sync Plus$10 a month
  • Publish$10 a month
  • Catalyst$25, paid once
  • Commercial$50 a year
  • FreeFree

Obsidian pricing →

In their own words

Goodnotes

Goodnotes is a note-taking app from Goodnotes, a company founded in 2011 and based in London. It runs on Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows, with offline access, note sharing, and real-time collaboration. Listed integrations include Google Calendar, Google Drive, ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Outlook, and Apple Calendar. The Free plan costs nothing and includes three notebooks, three text documents, three whiteboards, three folders, 100 MB of storage, and a 5 MB import limit. Essential costs $11.99 a year and includes 5 GB of storage and unlimited files, with a 7-day free trial. Pro costs $35.99 a year and includes unlimited files, also with a 7-day trial. Teams costs $120 a year and adds collaboration, SAML SSO, domain control, consolidated billing, and user and admin management. AI Pass is a $9.99 a month add-on with approximately 6,300 additional AI credits per month; availability varies by region and eligible plan. Enterprise and Special Edition have no listed prices.

Visit goodnotes.com

Obsidian

Obsidian is a note-taking app for keeping notes and building a personal knowledge workspace. Its core app is free, has no sign-up requirement, and stores notes on the user's device so they remain available offline. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and as a Chrome extension. Canvas provides an open workspace for research, brainstorming, diagrams, and ideas; thousands of plugins and an open API allow workflow customization. Shared vaults support team work with real-time updates. Sync adds synchronization and version history: Standard costs $5 per user per month billed annually, with one vault, 1 GB of storage, a 5 MB maximum file size, and one month of history. Plus costs $10 per user per month billed annually, with 10 vaults, 10 GB, a 200 MB maximum file size, and 12 months of history. Publish is $10 per site per month billed annually and includes up to 4 GB hosting per site. It offers themes, custom domains, password protection, and SEO optimization.

Visit obsidian.md