Microsoft OneNote vs Obsidian
Microsoft OneNote
microsoft.com
Obsidian
obsidian.mdSide by side
| Figure | Microsoft OneNote | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.33/mo | $4.17/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 11 | 6 |
| Spec score · Note-taking apps | 9.0 (#17) | 9.5 (#3) |
| Spec score · Note And Writing Apps | 8.5 (#11) | 8.9 (#7) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | OneDrive,SharePoint,Microsoft Graph,Zapier,Salesforce,Trello,Basecamp,Wufoo,Twitter,Feedly | Notion,Airtable,Microsoft OneNote,Evernote,Apple Notes,Apple Journal,Google Keep,Bear,Craft,Roam Research,Logseq,Tomboy,Gnote |
| Note sharing | OneNote supports sharing ideas and creating together with others. | Yes |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | web,windows,macos,ios,android | Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android,Chrome extension |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | 9.99 | 4 |
| Storage limit | 5 | 1 |
| Supported platforms | Works on PCs, Macs, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. | Obsidian supports Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and headless servers. |
Plans
Microsoft OneNote
- Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99 a month
- Microsoft 365 Personal$99.99 a year
- Microsoft 365 Personal$99.99 a year
- Microsoft 365 Family$12.99 a month
- Microsoft 365 Family$129.99 a year
- Microsoft 365 Family$129.99 a year
- Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99 a month
- Microsoft 365 Premium$199.99 a year
- Microsoft 365 Premium$199.99 a year
- Office Home 2024$179.99, paid once
Obsidian
- Sync Standard$5 a month
- Sync Plus$10 a month
- Publish$10 a month
- Catalyst$25, paid once
- Commercial$50 a year
- FreeFree
In their own words
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
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.