Comparison

Memo vs Obsidian

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

Head to head
About

Memo

Keep important short notes visible on your lock screen and in notifications. Ideal for lists and reminders that need frequent checking without opening an app.

Highlights
  • Add notes to Notification Center
  • View notes from lock screen
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Mark notes as done with strikethrough
  • Share notes as Markdown
  • Save URLs via Share Extension
  • Import line-by-line lists
Features
Read full description

See the note you need today the moment you check your phone. Memo is for short notes you look at repeatedly: shopping lists, things to bring, tasks for today, quick checklists, URLs, and small reminders you do not want buried inside a full note app. Select the notes that matter now and keep them available from the lock screen and Notification Center, so you can check them without opening the app and searching through a long list. Use it when a reminder is too heavy and a long note is too easy to forget. A grocery list while you are walking through a store. Things to pack before you leave. A short set of steps you need to follow. A URL you want to keep with the rest of your notes. A few tasks that should stay visible today. What you can do with Memo: - Add selected notes to Notification Center - Check frequently viewed notes from the lock screen - Organize notes with tags such as shopping, work, home, or travel - Mark notes as done with strikethrough — completed notes stay visible but dimmed - Share notes as Markdown with tag headings and checkbox support - Customize up to four floating action buttons for quick access to your most-used actions - Save URLs from Safari and other apps with the Share Extension - Import line-by-line lists from a text file - Move finished notes to the archive - Delete notes you no longer need - Create an iCloud backup and restore it when needed Memo is intentionally simple. It is not trying to replace a full notebook, calendar, or project manager. It works best for the small pieces of information you want to see quickly and repeatedly. If you need to write a long document, use a note app. If you need an alarm at a specific time, use a reminder. If you want a short note to stay close at hand, use Memo. Strikethrough lets you mark notes as done without deleting them. A completed shopping item or finished step stays in the list but appears dimmed, so you always know what is left. When you are done, move the checked items to the archive in one step. When you want to share a set of notes, export them as Markdown. Tags become headings, and notes marked with strikethrough are written as [x] checkboxes. Useful for sending a list to someone else or pasting it into another app. Tags help keep the list manageable as your notes grow. You can separate shopping, errands, work, home, travel, and personal notes, then choose only the items that should appear in Notification Center. Finished items can be archived so your active list stays focused, while older notes remain available when you need them. The Share Extension makes it easy to send a URL or text from another app into Memo. When you find a page, product, recipe, or reference you want to check later, save it with a tag and keep moving. Text import is useful for preparing a list on another device or in another app, then bringing it into Memo as individual notes. For small notes that need to stay visible, not buried, keep them on your lock screen and in Notification Center with Memo.

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

Memo3 screens
Obsidian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Memo at 5.0 against Obsidian's 4.5. Memo also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 62%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Obsidian's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Memo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Memo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Memo's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Memo ships an update every 5 days, Obsidian every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Memo versus Obsidian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMemoObsidian
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (2.8K ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better61.9% of reviews
Number of ratings12.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#124 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToshihiko AraiDynalist Inc.

Customer experience

Memo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%

Obsidian

All ratings2,757 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,335 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral11.9%
Negative26.1%

Bugs and requests

Memo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

1 purchases

Memo

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Memo free?
Memo 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, Memo or Obsidian?
Memo is rated higher. Memo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Obsidian averages 4.5 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Memo or Obsidian have ads?
Memo shows ads; Obsidian does not.
Which is updated more often, Memo or Obsidian?
Memo ships an update every 5 days, and Obsidian every 3 weeks. Most recently, Memo was updated on October 18, 2026 and Obsidian on October 19, 2026.

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