NotchNook Pro vs Obsidian
NotchNook Pro and Obsidian are both personal productivity tools. NotchNook Pro is aimed at developers, while Obsidian is aimed at freelancers and developers. Only Obsidian has a free plan.
NotchNook Pro
The original notch app for Mac, taken to the next level.
Obsidian
Local-first markdown knowledge base
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium · $5 |
| Starting price | Not published | $5/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers | Freelancers, Developers, Creators |
| Platforms | macos | macos, windows, linux, ios, android |
| Country | — | CA · 2020 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose NotchNook Pro if
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.
NotchNook Pro vs Obsidian pricing
NotchNook Pro
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
NotchNook Pro · Key features
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
NotchNook Pro vs Obsidian: FAQ
Do NotchNook Pro and Obsidian have a free plan?
NotchNook Pro has no free plan. Obsidian has a free plan.