Comparison

Joplin vs ObSync

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

Head to head
About

Joplin

A privacy-focused note-taking and to-do application that allows you to capture multimedia notes, organize them with notebooks and tags, and sync across devices. It offers end-to-end encryption and an offline-first approach for secure and accessible information management.

Highlights
  • Capture multimedia notes (speech, photos, videos, PDFs)
  • Organize notes with notebooks and tags
  • Create to-dos and set reminders
  • End-to-end encryption for privacy
  • Cross-device synchronization (Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive)
  • Offline-first access
  • OCR search for text within images and PDFs
Features
Read full description

Privacy-first app Capture your thoughts freely and without distractions, tracking, or ads. With Joplin’s end-to-end encryption and open-source code, you can concentrate on your ideas and tasks without worrying about your privacy. Capture multimedia notes Capture multimedia notes effortlessly. In Joplin you can : • create manuscript notes, • transcribe speech to note, • add multimedia: photos, videos, PDFs, and images, • insert documents as attachments, • create math expressions, add tables, write code and insert diagrams, • create to-dos and add reminders. Organise your ideas Organise your notes into notebooks. Connect your notes with tags by subject or priority. Use colours and rich text editor to format your notes with ease. Make task lists, create to-dos and add reminders. Effortlessly find your notes, even within PDFs and images, thanks to the powerful search feature enhanced by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Use Joplin to store your bills, lecture notes, photos or receipts. Reliable synchronisation Access your notes from computer, phone or tablet by synchronising with various services including Joplin Cloud, Dropbox and OneDrive. Seamlessly move from one device to another. Offline-first You can access your notes anytime and anywhere, even without Internet. If you’re using Joplin on multiple devices, they will synchronise and update once you regained the connection. Enhance your productivity across devices Extend your note-taking experience by using Joplin on additional devices such as a desktop computer or tablet. Make the most of each device by using its specific features. On the desktop app, use a web clipper extension, wide-range of community plugins and a Markdown editor. Experience flawless handwriting and drawing on your tablet. Join active community Connect with Joplin’s vibrant community on Joplin Forum. It’s a place where users can share ideas, ask questions, exchange information and give feedback. Joplin’s dynamic community also develops powerful plugins, so you can customise your app to suit your needs.

About

ObSync

Read full description

ObSync syncs your git-hosted Obsidian vaults to your iPhone or iPad. One tap to pull the latest, or push your changes back. No terminal, no workarounds, no emulators. Built with SwiftUI and libgit2 for native git performance. Features: • One-tap sync — clone on first run, fetch and update on every sync after • Read-only or read-write — pull only, or auto-commit and push local changes • Multi-vault — sync as many repos as you want • Branch selection — pick which branch to track per vault • Shortcuts & Siri — sync vaults from the home screen or by voice • Conflict detection — warns when local and remote diverge, with a one-tap discard option • GitHub OAuth — secure login, token stored in iOS Keychain • Recent commits — see what changed, open commits directly on GitHub

Screenshots

Joplin4 screens
ObSync3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ObSync at every 6 days against Joplin's monthly. Joplin's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Joplin ships an update monthly, ObSync every 6 days. Both last shipped on September 20, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Joplin versus ObSync: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoplinObSync
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (473 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings473 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaurent CozicKarlo Milicic

Bugs and requests

Joplin

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sync issues with WebDAV and Dropbox
  • Crashes when creating new notes
  • Keyboard issues, text getting obscured
  • Rendering problems in dark mode
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add web clipper functionality on iOS
  • Implement nested notebooks on iOS
  • Allow password/biometric protection for notes
  • Improve text editing experience on mobile
  • Add more font and formatting options
Show 1 more
  • Implement a trash/recycle bin for deleted notes

ObSync

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Joplin

No in-app purchases

None

ObSync

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Joplin free?
Joplin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ObSync free?
ObSync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Joplin or ObSync have ads?
Neither Joplin nor ObSync shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Joplin or ObSync?
Joplin ships an update monthly, and ObSync every 6 days. Most recently, Joplin was updated on September 20, 2026 and ObSync on September 20, 2026.

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