Comparison

Drafts vs Obsidian

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Drafts

Quickly capture text and send it to other apps with this versatile writing tool. It functions as a notebook, editor, and automation tool, allowing for seamless integration with various services and AI LLMs. Organize, customize, and process your text efficiently across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Quick text capture
  • Send text to other apps
  • Writing automation tool
  • Cross-device sync
  • Text manipulation actions
  • Customizable interface
  • AI LLM integration
Features
Read full description

Drafts is where text starts. Quickly capture text and send it almost anywhere! Drafts turns text into action with almost limitless possibilities – it’s a quick notebook, handy editor, and writing automation tool, all in one. Capture all of your text in Drafts and send it to other apps without the extra taps. Just open it and start typing! **Drafts is a multi-award winner!** - App of the Day, TIME Magazine’s Best Apps - MacStories “Lifetime Acheivement” and “Reader’s Choice” Awards ## WHY YOU’LL LOVE DRAFTS ## CAPTURE EVERYWHERE: Drafts opens to a new page with the keyboard ready — just waiting for your words. Alternatively, go hands-free with dictation. Drafts helps you write ideas down before you can forget them so and they’ll always be there, ready and waiting. Capture on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, and Drafts’ fast sync will make your text available everywhere. USE YOUR WORDS: Drafts is a jumping-off point for text — use actions to copy it, share it, or deep-link into other apps and services. Compose a tweet, draft a message, create a file in Dropbox, send a task off to Reminders – Drafts works with tons of your favorite apps and services. Hone your text through integrations with popular AI LLMs. REMEMBER IT NOW – OR LATER: New entries go into the Inbox. Once there, you can Tag them for organization, Flag them for importance, or Archive them for long-term storage. TAKE TEXT TO A NEW LEVEL: Customize Drafts to look and work the way you want with tons of interface adjustments — custom fonts and control over spacing, line height, and margins. Use the customizable buttons above the keyboard to convert, manipulate, and transform your writing quickly. Using Drafts as a global inbox for all of your text? Process everything quickly using unique features like Link Mode, Arrange Mode, and text manipulation actions. LEVERAGE THE POWER OF YOUR WRIST COMPUTER: Use your Apple Watch to quickly capture text using nothing more than your voice — and your ideas will be waiting on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac ready to be fleshed out. GETTING WORDS DOWN HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER: Drafts opens lightning fast and with support for capture via Siri, the widget, share extension, file import, and dictation - Drafts is like post-its updated for the smartphone era. ## JOIN THE COMMUNITY ## Check out our Directory (actions.getdrafts.com) for ready-to-use actions and themes. Join the Drafts Community (forums.getdrafts.com) to get help, integration guides, and a regular flow of tips & tricks. ## DRAFTS PRO ## Drafts is always free to use, but you can get more out of Drafts with a Drafts Pro subscription: • Create and Edit Actions • Themes and Icons - suit the experience to your tastes with themes, custom app icons, and more • Workspaces - Apply preferred tag, query, and sort settings for your drafts list with Workspaces • Extra widgets and better share extension options • Enhanced Automation We are always working hard to expand the capabilities of Drafts and keep it up-to-date with the latest technologies. Your support helps keep the app growing – thank you to Drafts Pro subscribers! ## SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS ## • Monthly and annual subscriptions are available • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase • Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period • Automatic renewals will be charged at the same price you were originally charged for the subscription • Subscriptions can be managed or canceled by going to Account Settings on the App Store after purchase Have questions? Contact us on Twitter at @draftsapp or email support@getdrafts.com. Terms: https://getdrafts.com/support/terms Privacy Policy: https://getdrafts.com/support/privacy

About

Obsidian

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
Read full description

Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files. It is a second brain, for you, forever. Now available on the go for iOS! Features include: - Customizable toolbar - Pull down quick actions - Graph view - Community plugins - Themes - Sidebar pinning for tablet - iCloud vaults

Screenshots

Drafts4 screens
Obsidian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against Drafts's 3. Obsidian also leads on chart position (#124 vs unranked). Drafts's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Drafts sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Drafts holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Drafts's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drafts ships an update every 4 days, Obsidian every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Drafts versus Obsidian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDraftsObsidian
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (11K ratings) — better4.5 (2.7K ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews — better62.1% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better2.7K
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#124 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAgile TortoiseDynalist Inc.

Customer experience

Drafts

All ratings10,776 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews585 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral8.9%
Negative21.2%

Obsidian

All ratings2,674 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,303 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative26.0%

User reviews

Drafts

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Extremely useful app
  • 👍 Powerful and flexible
  • 💡 Great for productivity and note-taking
  • 👍 Seamless sync across devices
  • 🚀 Streamlines workflows

Room to improve

  • 💰 Subscription model is too expensive
  • 🤔 Subscription required for advanced features
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🤔 Confusing UI changes in newer version
  • 💰 Dislike the move to a subscription

Obsidian

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

Drafts

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Paste function not working properly
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved integration with other apps
  • Ability to edit custom actions without subscription
  • One-time purchase option instead of subscription

Obsidian

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Drafts

Subscriptions3
  • Drafts Pro - Monthly [i]$1.991 Month
  • Drafts Pro - Annual [i]7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Drafts Pro - Patron [i]$29.991 Year
None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Drafts free?
Drafts 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, Drafts or Obsidian?
Drafts is rated higher. Drafts averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Obsidian averages 4.5 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Drafts or Obsidian have ads?
Neither Drafts nor Obsidian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drafts or Obsidian?
Drafts ships an update every 4 days, and Obsidian every 3 weeks. Most recently, Drafts was updated on September 24, 2026 and Obsidian on September 24, 2026.

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