# Google Keep vs Obsidian

Google Keep and Obsidian both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 62% of Obsidian's written reviews are positive against 42% of Google Keep's. Obsidian also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Google Keep's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (29K vs 2.7K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Google Keep against 4.5 for Obsidian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Keep has 29K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of Google Keep's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's.

Google Keep ships an update weekly, Obsidian every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google Keep | Obsidian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-keep-notes-and-lists/id1029207872/reviews)** | [4.5 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **29K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | 42.4% of reviews | **62.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#76** | #131 |
| Size | 210 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) |

## What reviewers say

### Google Keep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-keep-notes-and-lists/id1029207872)

**Currently charting:** #76 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture, edit, and share notes and lists across all your devices. Organize with labels and colors, and set time or location-based reminders. Collaborate with others in real-time for shared tasks.

**Highlights:** Capture notes, lists, photos, and audio, Organize with labels and colors, Set time and location-based reminders, Collaborate on notes and lists, Transcribe voice memos, Extract text from images

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Lean and efficient
- 👍 Minimalistic and easy to use
- 🤝 Good for collaboration
- 💡 Useful for note-taking and lists

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔄 Sync issues and data loss
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lag
- 📱 Limited functionality on mobile
- 🔒 Lack of security features

**Reported bugs**

- Notes randomly duplicating or disappearing
- Checkboxes not working as expected
- Keyboard issues and text input problems
- Refresh failures and connectivity problems

**Requested features**

- Add support for widgets
- Improve text formatting options
- Introduce folder/category organization
- Enable password protection for notes
- Enhance search and sorting capabilities


### Obsidian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442)

**Currently charting:** #131 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Organize your thoughts and ideas with a powerful knowledge base that utilizes local Markdown files. This app acts as your personal second brain, accessible on your mobile device for seamless note-taking and idea connection.

**Highlights:** Local Markdown file storage, Customizable toolbar, Graph view for connections, Community plugins, Themes, iCloud sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Customizable and flexible
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 💡 Innovative note-taking approach
- 🚀 Smooth mobile experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues and unreliable iCloud integration
- 🔋 Slow startup and performance issues on mobile
- 👎 Steep learning curve for new users
- 👎 Limited sorting and organization options
- 👎 Lack of WYSIWYG editing on mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Sync issues leading to data loss
- Freezing and crashing on mobile devices
- Editing bugs and text input issues

**Requested features**

- Improved sorting and organization options
- WYSIWYG editing on mobile
- Better integration with other cloud storage services
- More intuitive onboarding process for new users
- Native mobile widgets and share sheet integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google Keep free?

Google Keep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Obsidian free?

Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Google Keep or Obsidian?

Google Keep is rated higher. Google Keep averages 4.6 out of 5 from 29K ratings, while Obsidian averages 4.5 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do Google Keep or Obsidian have ads?

Neither Google Keep nor Obsidian shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Google Keep or Obsidian?

Google Keep ships an update weekly, and Obsidian every 3 weeks. Most recently, Google Keep was updated on September 25, 2026 and Obsidian on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Google Keep or Obsidian?

Google Keep currently peaks at #76 in the App Store charts, and Obsidian at #131. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*