Obsidian
Markdown note app that stores linked plain-text files in a folder you own
Obsidian reads and writes ordinary Markdown files sitting in a folder on your disk. Notes link to one another with double brackets, and those links render as a graph of what connects to what. A large community plugin catalog bolts on tasks, tables, calendars, spaced repetition and publishing, so two people's setups can look nothing alike. The app is free for personal use. Encrypted sync and web publishing cost extra. If you decide to leave, nothing sits in a private format.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- David SparksDiscusses
Apple productivity writer · MacSparky
Spent months across Obsidian, NotePlan and Apple Notes while preparing a Field Guide, and has not picked between the first two. He credits the Obsidian plugin community with letting it do almost anything, and says NotePlan wins on being a native Mac app.
Source: MacSparky: Sparky's Tech Stack for 2026
Aimed at the same thing
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On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
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On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 2 recommend it - App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it
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DEVONthink
DEVONtechnologies
Document and information manager for Mac and iOS with local, indexed databases
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it
App entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.