Drafts vs Obsidian
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Quick text capture
- Send text to other apps
- Writing automation tool
- Cross-device sync
- Text manipulation actions
- Customizable interface
- AI LLM integration
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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
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.
- Local Markdown file storage
- Customizable toolbar
- Graph view for connections
- Community plugins
- Themes
- iCloud sync
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Drafts sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
Drafts ships an update every 4 days, Obsidian every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Drafts | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (11K ratings) — better | 4.5 (2.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews — better | 62.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 2.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #124 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Agile Tortoise | Dynalist Inc. |
Customer experience
Drafts
Obsidian
User reviews
Drafts
From 11K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Drafts
- Drafts Pro - Monthly [i]$1.991 Month
- Drafts Pro - Annual [i]7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Drafts Pro - Patron [i]$29.991 Year
Obsidian
No in-app purchases








