Evernote vs Obsidian
Evernote and Obsidian are both note-taking & docs tools. Evernote is aimed at freelancers and creators, while Obsidian is aimed at freelancers and developers. Obsidian costs less, from $5/mo versus $14.99/mo for Evernote. Both have a free plan.
Veteran note app with web clipping, tasks and AI search
Local-first markdown knowledge base
| Pricing | Freemium · $15 | Freemium · $5 |
| Starting price | $14.99/mo | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | — |
| Built for | Freelancers, Creators, Small businesses | Freelancers, Developers, Creators |
| Platforms | web, macos, windows, ios, android | macos, windows, linux, ios, android |
| Country | US | CA · 2020 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Evernote if
Individuals with large existing archives who clip, scan and search far more than they collaborate.
- Excellent capture tools for web pages, scans and email
- Search finds text inside images and PDFs
- Mature apps on every major platform
Look elsewhere if: Teams building wikis and databases or users who want free local files (Notion, Obsidian).
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.
Evernote vs Obsidian pricing
Evernote
- Free$050 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device, 1 GB storage
- Starter$14.99/mo$99/yr billed annually; 1,000 notes, 3 devices, 5 GB
- Advanced$24.99/mo$249.99/yr billed annually; unlimited notes and devices
- Flexible / UnlimitedCustomTeam plans with admin controls, SSO and activity logs
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
Evernote · Key features
- Web Clipper for Chrome, Firefox and Safari
- Document scanning with OCR search inside images and PDFs
- Notebooks, spaces, tags and advanced search
- Tasks and calendar linked to Google and Microsoft calendars
- AI Assistant, semantic search and AI Transcribe
- Meeting note taker and AI rewrite tools in Evernote v11
Cons
- Free plan limited to 50 notes and one notebook
- Monthly billing is expensive compared with annual
- Collaboration and databases trail Notion
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
Evernote vs Obsidian: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Evernote or Obsidian?
Obsidian starts at $5/mo and Evernote at $14.99/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Evernote and Obsidian have a free plan?
Yes, both Evernote and Obsidian have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Evernote or Obsidian?
Evernote lists small businesses as a core audience, while Obsidian is aimed more at freelancers and developers.