What is the difference between Obsidian and Standard Notes?

Obsidian is best for Individuals who want local-first, markdown-based notes, while Standard Notes is best for Privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes. Obsidian starts at Free and Standard Notes starts at Free.

Is Obsidian or Standard Notes cheaper?

Obsidian starts at Free and is free. Standard Notes starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Standard Notes?

Both Obsidian and Standard Notes offer free tiers.

Obsidian vs Standard Notes

Obsidian is local-first markdown note-taking app with bidirectional linking and a plugin ecosystem, while Standard Notes is end-to-end encrypted note-taking app with extensible editors and self-hosting option. Standard Notes is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Obsidian is built for individuals who want local-first, markdown-based notes, whereas Standard Notes targets privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes.

At a glance

	Obsidian	Standard Notes
Best for	Individuals who want local-first, markdown-based notes	Privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Backlinks	✓	—
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Editors	—	✓
Graph View	✓	—
Local Storage	✓	—
Markdown	✓	—
Plugins	✓	—
Self-Hosted	—	✓
Tags	—	✓

Obsidian

Strengths

Local-first — your notes are plain markdown files you own
Powerful bidirectional linking and graph view
Huge plugin ecosystem (1,000+)
Works offline, fast and responsive

Weaknesses

No real-time collaboration
Sync requires paid add-on or third-party solution
Steeper setup than Notion for non-technical users
Mobile app is less polished than desktop

Try Obsidian → Full review

Standard Notes

Strengths

Open source and transparent
End-to-end encryption by default — messages are unreadable even to the server operator
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
Free with basic editors — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Self-hosting requires Linux admin skills and ongoing server maintenance
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary
Community support can be slower than the dedicated support teams at commercial alternatives

Try Standard Notes → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Obsidian and Standard Notes are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Obsidian offers Backlinks, Graph View and Local Storage that Standard Notes lacks. Standard Notes brings E2E Encryption, Editors and Self-Hosted that Obsidian does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Standard Notes is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Obsidian is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Obsidian's biggest strengths are: local-first — your notes are plain markdown files you own. powerful bidirectional linking and graph view. Standard Notes's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. end-to-end encryption by default — messages are unreadable even to the server operator.

Watch out for: With Obsidian, users commonly note that no real-time collaboration. With Standard Notes, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Obsidian if...

You need a tool built for individuals who want local-first, markdown-based notes
You specifically need Backlinks and Graph View
You care about powerful bidirectional linking and graph view

Choose Standard Notes if...

You need a tool built for privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need E2E Encryption and Editors
You care about end-to-end encryption by default — messages are unreadable even to the server operator
The free tier works for you: free with basic editors