Obsidian vs Microsoft OneNote
Obsidian and Microsoft OneNote are both note-taking & docs tools. Obsidian is aimed at freelancers and developers, while Microsoft OneNote is aimed at freelancers and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
Local-first markdown knowledge base
Free freeform digital notebook from Microsoft with ink and sync
| Pricing | Freemium · $5 | Free |
| Starting price | $5/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Freelancers, Developers, Creators | Freelancers, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | macos, windows, linux, ios, android | web, windows, macos, ios, android |
| Country | CA · 2020 | US · 2003 |
| Rating | — | — |
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.
Choose Microsoft OneNote if
Students, teachers and Microsoft 365 users who want a free, pen-friendly notebook that syncs across every device.
- Completely free on every major platform with no note limits
- Best-in-class pen experience for students and tablet users
- Freeform canvas suits mixed media better than linear note apps
Look elsewhere if: Knowledge workers who need databases, linked notes or plain-file ownership (Notion, Obsidian or Evernote suit them better).
Obsidian vs Microsoft OneNote pricing
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
Microsoft OneNote
- OneNote$0Free with a Microsoft account; notebooks sync via 5 GB OneDrive
- Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99/mo$99.99/year; 1 TB OneDrive and Copilot in OneNote
- Microsoft 365 Family$12.99/mo$129.99/year; up to 6 people, 2 TB shared storage
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
Microsoft OneNote · Key features
- Freeform pages where text, images, ink and files can be placed anywhere
- Notebook, section and page hierarchy with color-coded tabs
- Pen and stylus inking with handwriting search and ink-to-text
- Text extraction from images and printouts inserted into notes
- Audio recording linked to notes and tags such as To Do and Important
- OneNote Web Clipper for saving web pages into a notebook
Cons
- Storage is capped by OneDrive, only 5 GB on free accounts
- No databases, Markdown or bidirectional links
- Weak export makes migrating to another app painful
Obsidian vs Microsoft OneNote: FAQ
Do Obsidian and Microsoft OneNote have a free plan?
Yes, both Obsidian and Microsoft OneNote have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Obsidian or Microsoft OneNote?
Microsoft OneNote lists small businesses as a core audience, while Obsidian is aimed more at freelancers and developers.