Obsidian vs ZenNotes
Obsidian
obsidian.mdZenNotes
zennotes.orgSide by side
| Figure | Obsidian | ZenNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $4.17/mo | $1/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 6 |
| Spec score · Note-taking apps | 9.5 (#3) | 8.9 (#25) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Notion,Airtable,Microsoft OneNote,Evernote,Apple Notes,Apple Journal,Google Keep,Bear,Craft,Roam Research,Logseq,Tomboy,Gnote | Git,iCloud,Dropbox,Claude Code,Claude Desktop,Codex |
| Note sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android,Chrome extension | macOS,Windows,Linux,iOS,Android,self-hosted browser |
Plans
Obsidian
- Sync Standard$5 a month
- Sync Plus$10 a month
- Publish$10 a month
- Catalyst$25, paid once
- Commercial$50 a year
- FreeFree
ZenNotes
- ZenNotes appFree
- 10 vaults add-on$1 a month
- 25 vaults add-on$2 a month
- 10 GB storage add-on$3 a month
- Publish to the web add-on$3 a month
- ZenNotes Cloud$5 a month
In their own words
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.