With its powerful linking capabilities, graph views, Markdown support, and focus on local storage, Obsidian has surely taken the note-taking space by storm. But like any software, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Whether you want a better user interface, out-of-box features, or crave an open-source solution for transparency, there is a whole universe of Obsidian alternatives waiting to be explored.
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Among them, I have hand-picked the top five solutions, each offering unique strengths to help you capture ideas, organize knowledge, and boost productivity. Let's go over the list below and find your perfect note-taking companion.
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5 Logseq
Do you want to ditch Obsidian due to its lack of open-source nature? While there are several open-source solutions out there, none of them come close to Logseq. It's a powerful knowledge management tool that shares many similarities with Obsidian. Being an open-source means, you can review the code and have more control, flexibility, and peace of mind while storing sensitive data.
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Also, unlike Notion and Capacities, Logseq prioritizes local storage, ensuring privacy and avoiding vendor lock-in. The list of features includes a Markdown-based editor, the ability to connect your notes through bi-directional links, and a unique outliner structure to create a hierarchical note organization.
Logseq supports task management, PDF annotation, and a whiteboard to brainstorm ideas and can be an ideal pick for writers, project management, developers, and power users. The company recently announced real-time syncing to make your notes available on every device.
Logseq
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4 Notion
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Speaking of the top Obsidian alternative, how can I leave Notion out of the list? It's the most popular PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) tool out there. You can create different workspaces for specific needs and start adding pages in no time.
Notion supports a '/' command to add different blocks, multiple databases like Table, List, Board, Gallery, and more, several automation tools to boost productivity, and integration with third-party services. Templates is where Notion truly shines over Obsidian. Whether you want to manage a project, create a book tracker, craft an expense manager, life planner, or a subscription tracker, there is no shortage of built-in and third-party templates out there.
Notion also shines at real-time collaboration, where you can invite your team members and brainstorm project ideas simultaneously. If you are looking for a powerful Obsidian alternative that supports advanced tables and databases, go with Notion.
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Notion
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3 Standard Notes
If you often store sensitive notes and data, Standard Notes can be a compelling choice for your workflow. It is designed with end-to-end encryption as its core principle. Your notes are encrypted on your device before syncing, ensuring that only you hold the decryption key.
Owned by Proton (a company known for offering privacy-focused apps), Standard Notes is open-source, has cross-platform availability and remains extensible with a range of extensions. Unlike Notion, Obsidian, and other tools, Standard Notes has a familiar UI, a sidebar for tags and notes and a toolbar at the top.
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The list of features includes nested folders, the ability to protect your notes with passwords, tasks and todos, a basic spreadsheet functionality, multiple themes, and much more.
Standard Notes
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2 Joplin
Most Obsidian alternatives require a subscription to unlock all features. If you want a free solution to replace your Obsidian vaults, Joplin can be worth taking a closer look. Here is what it brings to the table.
Joplin is completely free and open-source, has cross-platform availability, and supports end-to-end encryption for your private notes. Like Obsidian, it has a robust following of passionate developers. If you aren't a fan of the default UI (it is outdated), you can always download a third-party theme to give it a makeover. It also supports plugins to extend Joplin's functionality.
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The extensive features set includes Markdown support, to-do lists, note-tagging, and powerful search functionality. Like Obsidian, Joplin is quite flexible, and you can pick a cloud storage service of your choice to save and sync data.
Joplin
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1 Capacities
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Even after years of development, Obsidian still looks basic at best. If you want a modern-looking Obsidian alternative, go with Capacities. It has a unique approach to managing your notes. You are looking at object-oriented thinking where every note type (Recipe, Book, Quote, Idea, and more) is termed as an object. You can create custom objects with specific properties and enjoy a flexible way to organize your knowledge.
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Capacities automatically generate a visual map of your interconnected objects, making it easy to see relationships, explore connections, and gain new insights from your notes.
Capacities has built-in AI assistance and project management tools and remains more customizable than Obsidian. It does require a learning curve, though. So, you do need to spend some time to get comfortable with its unique object-oriented approach.
Capacities
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Choosing the right Obsidian alternative is a personal journey. Ultimately, it depends on your individual needs and preferences. Joplin and Logseq are open-source, Capacities has a unique organization method with Objects, Notion shines with its flexibility and a rich templates library, while Standard Notes offers the highest level of privacy.
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What are you waiting for? Take them for a spin, experiment with their features, and unlock new levels of knowledge organization. Once you finalize your favorite PKM tool, glance over our separate post to find the top productivity tools for your workflow.