Obsidian vs Reflect

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.

Reflect is a note-taking app for daily notes, linked thinking, and private AI using files you control. Reflect Open stores notes as plain Markdown in a folder you choose and maintains a rebuildable local SQLite index. Daily notes, wiki links, backlinks, and full-text search organize the collection, while optional semantic search runs on-device. Optional AI chat uses your own API key, and private notes are blocked from external AI calls. Audio memos can be transcribed through a provider key. Sync works through iCloud Drive or Git with files you own, and a Chrome extension clips web content into notes. Reflect says the app is open source; its App Store listing says there is no account, telemetry, or Reflect-hosted cloud service. It is available on web, macOS, iOS, and as a Chrome extension, with note sharing and integrations including Zapier, Readwise, Google Calendar, Outlook, Kindle, Chrome, and Safari. The annual Reflect plan starts at $10/user/mo; Reflect Open is a free download with in-app purchases available.