# Notion vs Obsidian

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against Notion's 6. Obsidian also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Notion's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and chart position there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notion sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notion holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notion has 90K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Notion's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notion ships an update every 3 days, Obsidian every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notion | Obsidian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (90K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notion-notes-tasks-ai/id1232780281/reviews)** | [4.5 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **90K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | 54.9% of reviews | **62.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#45** | #128 |
| Size | 680 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Notion Labs, Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/1232780280) | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) |

## What reviewers say

### Notion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notion-notes-tasks-ai/id1232780281)

**Currently charting:** #45 Top Free · Productivity, #97 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

This AI-powered workspace helps you write notes, manage tasks, organize projects, and collaborate with others. It offers features like AI meeting notes and interactive maps to streamline your workflow for personal, student, or professional use.

**Highlights:** AI-powered note-taking and summarization, Task and project management, Collaborative workspace, Customizable templates, Interactive maps view for databases, AI for content generation and analysis

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notion AI | $9.99 | per month |
| Notion – Plus Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Notion Business | $23.99 | per month |
| Notion AI | $95.99 | per year |
| Notion – Plus Yearly | $119.99 | per year |
| Notion Business | $239.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great tool for school organisation
- 👍 Game-Changer for Productivity
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Versatile and customizable
- 👍 Calendar view is amazing
- 👍 Amazing & altruistic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frustrating Search and Useless AI
- 🐛 Buggy and nagging (iPad M1)… moving to click up if it does get more stable
- 🔒 No offline mode
- 🐛 Glitchy iPad experience
- 🐛 Terrible on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Columns glitchy on mobile
- Inability to edit titles
- Keyboard issues on iPad with Bluetooth keyboard
- Notion logging out users periodically
- Notion deleting user data without warning

**Requested features**

- Apple Calendar integration
- Time blocking for morning & night routines
- Offline mode
- Multiple tabs for iPad
- Ability to edit titles


### Obsidian

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

**Currently charting:** #128 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 Notion free?

Notion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Obsidian free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notion or Obsidian?

Notion is rated higher. Notion averages 4.8 out of 5 from 90K ratings, while Obsidian averages 4.5 from 2.7K ratings.

### Do Notion or Obsidian have ads?

Neither Notion nor Obsidian shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notion or Obsidian?

Notion ships an update every 3 days, and Obsidian every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notion was updated on September 24, 2026 and Obsidian on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Notion or Obsidian?

Notion currently peaks at #45 in the App Store charts, and Obsidian at #128. 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.*