Notion and Obsidian are both popular places to write down how you work. Notion keeps your notes online in a shared workspace. Obsidian keeps them as plain text files on your own device. That one difference shapes privacy, sharing, price and how the tool feels day to day.
This post compares the tools. If you want the idea behind them, start with a second brain for your business.
The short verdict
Pick Notion if other people need to read or edit your notes, you want databases for clients and tasks, or you want to publish pages such as a client guide.
Pick Obsidian if the notes are mainly for you, you want them stored as files you own, and you like linking ideas together over time.
Prices and plans
All facts below come from each vendor's own pages, in US dollars, as of October 2026.
- Free: unlimited pages for one person, but a limited number of blocks once 2 or more members share a workspace. Files up to 5MB, 10 guests and 7 days of page history.
- Plus: $10 per member a month billed yearly, or $12 billed monthly. Unlimited blocks and uploads, unlimited guests and 30 days of page history.
- Business: $20 per member a month billed yearly, or $24 billed monthly. Adds Notion Agent, AI meeting notes, private teamspaces and 90 days of page history.
- The app: free, with no sign-up required. A commercial license is optional, at $50 per user a year.
- Sync Standard: $4 per user a month billed annually, or $5 billed monthly. 1 synced vault, 1GB of storage, files up to 5MB and 1 month of version history.
- Sync Plus: $8 per user a month billed annually, or $10 billed monthly. 10 synced vaults, 10GB of storage, files up to 200MB and 12 months of version history.
- Publish: $8 per site a month billed annually, or $10 billed monthly.
Sync details are from the Obsidian Sync page.
The differences that matter
Where your notes live
Obsidian stores notes on your device as plain text Markdown files. You can open them in any text editor, back them up like any other folder, and keep using them if you stop using Obsidian. Notion stores your workspace online. You reach it through the app or a browser, and Notion lets you choose pages to download for offline use.
If owning the files matters to you, Obsidian has the clear edge. If you want to reach the same notes from any computer with no setup, Notion is simpler.
Working with other people
Notion is built for shared work. You can invite members and guests, and set who can see each teamspace. Obsidian is mainly a personal tool. Teams can share a vault through Obsidian Sync, which is a paid add-on.
For a business with staff or contractors who read your SOPs, Notion is usually the easier fit. For notes only you read, Obsidian is enough.
Structure
Notion has databases. A client list, a content calendar or a task list can each be a table with fields, filters and views. Obsidian is built around linked notes. You link one note to another, and over time you can see how ideas connect. Obsidian also has thousands of community plugins and themes that add features such as tasks and calendars.
Cost
Obsidian on one device is free, including for work. You pay only if you want Sync or Publish. Notion is free for one person, and a team will soon want Plus at $10 per member a month on yearly billing.
AI
Notion includes its AI agent and meeting notes on the Business plan, with a limited trial on Free and Plus. Obsidian's pricing page does not list a built-in AI feature. Since Obsidian notes are plain files, you can also paste them into the AI tool you already use.
What to keep in either tool
The tool matters less than what you put in it. A useful business notebook holds:
- What you sell, to whom, and at what price.
- Your SOPs, one page per repeated task.
- Notes from client calls and team meetings.
- Decisions you made and why.
- How you write: words you use and words you avoid.
The guides on writing meeting notes and the SOP template work in both tools. A weekly review keeps the notes current.
How to decide
- Ask who reads the notes. Only you: Obsidian is enough. A team or clients: start with Notion.
- Ask where the files should live. On your own device: Obsidian. Online, ready anywhere: Notion.
- Ask how much structure you need. Tables and views: Notion. Linked notes: Obsidian.
- Move one real part of your business, such as your SOPs, into each tool for two weeks.
Nive is being built for this problem: you write how your business works once, and it drafts outreach and other work in your voice from those facts. Your notes in Notion or Obsidian are a good place to start that writing. Join the waitlist to get the demo first.