Obsidian alternatives, by what you’re missing

Why look beyond Obsidian

• Paid sync: Obsidian Sync from $4 a month billed yearly, or a third-party service to set up.
• Paid publishing: Obsidian Publish from $8 a month per site; no built-in citation block or DOI.
• Unencrypted files on disk: encryption depends on the system.
• Many features (transcription, citations) come from community plugins to pick and maintain.

The six alternatives at a glance

• Logseq: free, open source (AGPL), local Markdown files, outline notes and a daily journal.
• Joplin: free, open source, end-to-end encrypted sync, apps everywhere.
• Notesnook: open source, end-to-end encrypted, vault and app lock.
• Anytype: local-first, end-to-end encrypted, peer-to-peer sync.
• Zettlr: free, open source, academic writing with Zotero and Pandoc export, on desktop.
• nTilia: offline field notebook, on-device transcription, citable journal and Zenodo deposit.

Logseq: files, as an outline

Logseq keeps Markdown files on your disk, like Obsidian, but organizes writing as blocks and a daily journal. It is free and open source (AGPL); end-to-end encrypted sync is an optional paid service.

• Pros: close to Obsidian, free, block references.
• Cons: the new database version is still in beta; no citable publishing.

Joplin and Notesnook: encryption at no extra cost

Joplin, free and open source, end-to-end encrypts sync through Joplin Cloud (from €2.99/mo), Dropbox or OneDrive. Notesnook, also open source, encrypts everything from the free plan and adds a second-password vault.

• Pros: end-to-end encrypted sync, apps on every system.
• Cons: fewer links and views than Obsidian; no citable publishing or DOI.

Anytype: all local, all encrypted

Anytype stores data on the device and syncs it peer to peer, end-to-end encrypted, with objects, types and relations rather than files.

• Pros: privacy, offline, free for individuals.
• Cons: your notes are no longer Markdown files; source-available code, not strictly open source.

Zettlr: for writing the thesis

Zettlr is a free Markdown editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, built for academic writing: Zotero citations, over 9,000 styles, Pandoc export to Word, PDF or LaTeX.

• Pros: the best free tool for a long manuscript with citations.
• Cons: desktop only; no audio or built-in publishing.

nTilia: the field notebook that publishes

nTilia makes the opposite choice to Obsidian: no plugins to assemble, a set path from the note taken on site to the published article. Missions per trip, audio transcribed on the device, Travel Mode before a checkpoint, then a bilingual journal with a Cite block (APA, BibTeX, RIS, JATS) and, from Pro, a one-click Zenodo deposit that assigns a DOI.

• Pros: the only alternative on this list that publishes a citable journal and deposits on Zenodo; built-in local transcription; sync included.
• Cons: no plugins or graph view; an installable web app rather than a native one; sync not end-to-end encrypted, so the published journal stays readable (the vault encrypts what stays on the device).

How to choose

1. You like Obsidian but not its price

   Logseq, or Joplin for free encrypted sync.

2. Your notes are confidential

   Notesnook or Anytype; nTilia if the threat is a search of your phone.

3. You write a long academic text

   Zettlr at the desk; nTilia for the field notebook and its citable publication.

4. You want to publish and be cited

   nTilia: bilingual journal, Cite block, Zenodo DOI.