The best Obsidian alternatives in 2026

1

Kalend

A free planner: to-dos, calendar, habits and a voice journal 9.6 +0.3 vs Obsidian

• Better design +1.0

Best for: People who want tasks, a calendar, habits and a journal in one private, free app

2

Bear

Beautiful Markdown notes for Mac, iPhone and iPad 9.1 -0.2 vs Obsidian

• Better design +1.0
• Fewer features -0.8
• Worse value -0.4

Best for: Writers and Apple users who want fast, good-looking Markdown notes

3

Todoist

Clean, cross-platform to-do list with natural language input 9.0 -0.3 vs Obsidian

• Less private -1.5
• Worse value -1.1
• Better design +0.7

Best for: People and small teams who want a fast, reliable task list on every device

4

Notion

Docs, wikis and databases in one flexible workspace 9.0 -0.3 vs Obsidian

• Less private -2.1
• Better design +0.8
• Slower -0.8
• Worse value -0.8

Best for: Teams who want docs, wikis and task boards in one place

5

Fantastical

The calendar that understands what you type 8.9 -0.4 vs Obsidian

• Worse value -2.0
• Less private -1.3
• Better design +0.7

Best for: Busy Apple users juggling work and personal calendars

6

Things 3

Beautifully designed task manager for Mac and iPhone 8.9 -0.4 vs Obsidian

• Worse value -1.4
• Fewer features -1.3
• Better design +1.1
• Less private -0.7

Best for: Apple users who want a calm, personal task manager without a subscription

7

Jotter

A fast notes app with lists, handwriting and voice notes 8.4 -0.9 vs Obsidian

• Fewer features -2.0
• Slower -0.8
• Weaker design -0.4

Best for: iPhone and iPad users who want a quick, private notepad with handwriting

8

Craft

Polished docs and notes that look great by default 8.4 -0.9 vs Obsidian

• Worse value -1.9
• Less private -1.7
• Slower -1.1
• Fewer features -0.9

Best for: Writers and Apple users who want beautiful notes and docs with little effort

9

Structured

Plan your day on a visual timeline you can drag around 8.4 -0.9 vs Obsidian

• Less private -1.5
• Worse value -1.3
• Fewer features -1.1
• Slower -0.8

Best for: People who think in time blocks and want a visual plan for each day

10

TickTick

Tasks, calendar, habits and focus timer in one app 8.4 -0.9 vs Obsidian

• Less private -2.8
• Worse value -1.0
• Slower -0.6
• Fewer features -0.4

Best for: Students and planners who want tasks, calendar, habits and focus in one app

11

Microsoft OneNote

Free digital notebook with freeform pages and inking 8.1 -1.2 vs Obsidian

• Less private -2.7
• Slower -1.7
• Fewer features -0.9
• Weaker design -0.8

Best for: Students and tablet users who take handwritten or mixed-media notes

12

Evernote

Veteran note app with strong search and web clipping 7.7 -1.6 vs Obsidian

• Worse value -3.8
• Less private -3.2
• Slower -1.7
• Fewer features -0.4

Best for: Long-time users with large archives of clipped articles and scanned documents