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AppFREE, no costObsidian

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.

Who backs it

Sorted by strength of stance

  • 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

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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.