AppFlowy vs Obsidian
AppFlowy and Obsidian are both note-taking & docs tools. AppFlowy is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Obsidian is aimed at freelancers and developers. Obsidian costs less, from $5/mo versus $16/mo for AppFlowy. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Open source · $16 | Freemium · $5 |
| Starting price | $16/mo | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Freelancers, Developers, Creators |
| Platforms | macos, windows, linux, ios, android | macos, windows, linux, ios, android |
| Country | SG · 2021 | CA · 2020 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose AppFlowy if
Teams wanting an open-source Notion.
- Open source
- Self-hostable
- Fast native apps
Look elsewhere if: Teams needing Notion's ecosystem.
Choose Obsidian if
Individuals, researchers and writers who want ownership, longevity and deep customization.
- You own your files; works offline forever
- Free for personal and commercial use
- Unmatched extensibility through plugins
Look elsewhere if: Teams needing shared, collaborative documents or users who want a zero-setup tool.
AppFlowy vs Obsidian pricing
AppFlowy
- Personal$01 workspace owner, 100 MB storage, 7-day version history
- Pro$16/user/mo$12/mo billed annually; unlimited members, storage, forms
- Self-hosted$0AGPL-3.0 code, self-host with Docker
Obsidian
- Free$0Full app, personal and commercial use
- Sync$5/user/mo$4 billed annually; E2E encrypted sync
- Publish$10/site/mo$8 billed annually; publish notes to web
- Catalyst$25One-time supporter license, early access
- Commercial$50/user/yearOptional license for organizations
AppFlowy · Key features
- Docs and databases
- Kanban and grid
- AI assistant
- Offline mode
- Self-hosting
- Templates
Cons
- Fewer features than Notion
- Smaller ecosystem
- Collaboration maturing
Obsidian · Key features
- Local Markdown files with bidirectional links and backlinks panel
- Graph view and Canvas for visual thinking
- Bases: database-style views over notes (2025)
- 2,000+ community plugins and themes
- End-to-end encrypted Sync and one-click Publish
- Daily notes, templates, search with operators, mobile apps
Cons
- No real-time collaboration
- Plugin quality varies; setup can rabbit-hole
- Sync and Publish are paid add-ons
AppFlowy vs Obsidian: FAQ
Which is cheaper, AppFlowy or Obsidian?
Obsidian starts at $5/mo and AppFlowy at $16/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do AppFlowy and Obsidian have a free plan?
Yes, both AppFlowy and Obsidian have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, AppFlowy or Obsidian?
AppFlowy lists small businesses as a core audience, while Obsidian is aimed more at freelancers and developers.