If you’re searching for the ideal note-taking app or personal knowledge management (PKM) system in 2025, two names will inevitably pop up: Notion and Obsidian. These tools dominate the productivity space—and with good reason. Each offers powerful features, but they cater to very different needs.
In this post, we’ll compare their key features, pricing, organisational styles, and collaboration tools to help you decide which one best fits your workflow—whether you’re managing team projects or building a solo digital brain.
But what if you didn’t need a separate note-taking app at all? If your work revolves around the web—researching, reading, saving sources—there’s a new contender worth knowing: Horse Browser. It’s a reimagined browser that combines your web research, notes, and knowledge graphs in one streamlined space, built right into your browsing experience.
Before we explore how Horse Browser might change the way you think online, let’s dive into the strengths and trade-offs of Notion and Obsidian.
| Feature | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Collaboration | Real-time editing, @mentions, team dashboards | Solo-first, view-only publishing, no native live editing |
| Data Ownership | Cloud-based, company servers | Local Markdown files, full ownership, AES-256 encryption with Obsidian Sync |
| Extensibility | Limited plugins, built-in blocks | Vast plugin ecosystem, full customization |
| Organizational Style | Structured blocks, databases, subpages | Free-form links, backlinks, visual graph |
| User Experience | Sleek, polished, mobile-friendly | Minimalist, fast, highly customizable |
| AI | Extensive AI features, including access to knowledge through ChatGPT and Claude | No built-in AI features, AI functionality via community plugins |
| Pricing | Free with paid team features | Free for personal use, optional paid sync/publish |
If you’re working on shared projects or in a remote team, Notion’s collaboration features shine. Obsidian, while powerful for individuals, doesn’t offer real-time collaboration. It’s designed around a local, personal knowledge base. While you can share notes using Obsidian Publish or use Git for version control, these require technical setup and don’t allow simultaneous editing.
Real-Time Editing: Multiple users can simultaneously edit documents, with changes reflected instantly.
Commenting and @Mentions: Users can leave comments and mentions for teammates to facilitate discussions.
Task Management: Integrated databases and Kanban boards help with task management and shared planning.
Versatile Views: Utilise tables, boards, calendars, and timelines to manage projects effectively.
Shared workspaces: Great for status updates, internal documentation, and onboarding processes.
Limited Native Collaboration: Obsidian is primarily designed for individual use, with collaboration features being minimal.
Obsidian Publish: Allows users to share notes publicly, but lacks real-time collaborative editing.
Third-Party Solutions: Collaboration can be facilitated through external tools or plugins, but these require additional setup and may not offer the seamless experience found in Notion.
Summary: For teams requiring robust collaboration tools, Notion is the superior choice. For now, Obsidian remains the go-to for solo researchers, writers, and thinkers.