Obsidian vs Microsoft To Do
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Obsidian is the better app overall, scoring 9.3 to 8.4. Obsidian wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Microsoft To Do on 0, with 2 tied.
Writers, students and researchers building up their notes for years
Windows and Outlook users who want a free, no-fuss to-do list
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Obsidian | Microsoft To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #2 of 17 | #11 of 17 |
| Developer | Dynalist Inc. | Microsoft |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Obsidian better than Microsoft To Do?
Obsidian is the better app overall, scoring 9.3 to 8.4. Obsidian wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Microsoft To Do on 0, with 2 tied.
Which is cheaper, Obsidian or Microsoft To Do?
Obsidian: Free app; Sync from $4/month and Publish from $8/month, billed yearly. Microsoft To Do: Free with a Microsoft account; no paid tier. On value for money, Obsidian scores higher.
Do Obsidian and Microsoft To Do work on the same devices?
Only Obsidian runs on Linux. Only Microsoft To Do runs on Web.
Which is more private, Obsidian or Microsoft To Do?
Obsidian scores higher on privacy (9.7/10). The App Store label says no data is collected, and there are no ads or tracking. Notes are local files on your device, and the optional Sync service is end-to-end encrypted by default.
Strengths and weaknesses
Obsidian
- Notes are files on your device that stay yours forever
- Fast, works fully offline, and no account needed
- Free for personal and work use
- Hard to learn, with lots of setup choices
- Official sync and publishing cost extra
Obsidian keeps your notes as plain text files (Markdown) on your own device. You own them outright, and they work offline. Backlinks, graph view, Canvas and Bases turn a folder of notes into a web of linked ideas. Bases now has table, list and kanban views. Community plugins cover almost anything else. The app is free for any use. The catch: it takes time to learn, and official sync costs extra.
Full Obsidian review
Microsoft To Do
- Completely free, with no ads
- Apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web
- Works hand in hand with Outlook and Microsoft 365
- Recent updates are mostly bug fixes
- No calendar or board view for planning your week
- Needs a Microsoft account to sync
Microsoft To Do is a clean, free to-do list from the team behind Wunderlist. Each morning, My Day helps you pick what to tackle, with suggestions from your other lists. Break tasks into steps, set repeating reminders, share lists with family, and see emails you flagged in Outlook. It runs on almost everything. Recent updates have mostly been bug fixes, so don't expect big new features.
Full Microsoft To Do review
