Comparison

Notesnook vs ObSync

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

Head to head
About

Notesnook

This open-source app offers secure, encrypted note-taking and organization across all your devices. It features a robust editor, to-do lists, and a private journal with advanced security to protect your personal information.

Highlights
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • To-do lists and task management
  • Private journal with media support
  • Rich text and Markdown editor
  • Notebook organization
  • App lock with fingerprint support
Features
Read full description

Your notes are yours. Notesnook encrypts every one of them on your device before it ever reaches the cloud — so no one can read them. Not advertisers, not us. UNLIMITED NOTES. EVERY DEVICE. FREE. Most note apps cap the free plan until it hurts. Others stop after a few dozen notes. Notesnook never limits how much you write or how many devices you sync. A REAL EDITOR Headings, tables, code blocks, maths, outlines, Markdown and full-quality images. Notes that hold up whether you are writing a shopping list or a thesis chapter. ORGANISED AT ANY SIZE Nested notebooks, tags, colours, pinned and favourite notes, and search that stays instant at 10,000 notes. Link notes to each other and build your own private wiki. PRIVACY YOU CAN CHECK YOURSELF • End-to-end encryption is always on — you cannot switch it off, so you cannot forget • Encrypted on your device, in transit and at rest, using XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 • Even your notebook and tag names are encrypted • 100% open source under AGPLv3 — read every line, or run your own sync server • Recommended by Privacy Guides IMPORT YOUR OLD NOTES Bring your notes, notebooks and tags with you. Import from your previous notes app, plus plain Markdown and HTML files. EVERYWHERE YOU WRITE iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Sync is instant, and encrypted the whole way. ALSO INSIDE • Web clipper — save any article, ad-free and offline • Reminders across all your devices • Note version history, so nothing is ever really lost • Publish a note to a shareable link • Dark mode and custom themes FREE FOREVER Unlimited notes, unlimited devices, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and full end-to-end encryption. No ads. No trial countdown. PAID PLANS Add task lists, callouts, recurring reminders, more storage, and — on Pro — app lock, an encrypted vault and full-quality images. From $19.99 a year. Questions or feedback: support@streetwriters.co Privacy policy: https://notesnook.com/privacy Terms: https://notesnook.com/terms

About

ObSync

Effortlessly synchronize your Obsidian notes stored in Git repositories across your iPhone and iPad. This app offers one-tap syncing, allowing you to pull the latest changes or push your updates without needing a terminal or complex workarounds. Manage multiple vaults and branches with ease.

Highlights
  • One-tap Git synchronization
  • Read-only or read-write modes
  • Multi-vault support
  • Branch selection per vault
  • Shortcuts and Siri integration
  • Conflict detection and resolution
  • GitHub OAuth for secure login
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

Notesnook4 screens
ObSync3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ObSync at none against Notesnook's 10. Notesnook's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (692 vs 3). On price, update cadence, 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. Notesnook sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ObSync asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 692 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, ObSync every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Notesnook versus ObSync: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookObSync
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (692 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings692 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCKarlo Milicic

Bugs and requests

Notesnook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch on older iOS devices
  • Sync issues leading to data loss
  • Unreliable login and verification process

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search functionality
  • Reminders and calendar integration
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Multilingual support
  • Improved table and spreadsheet features

ObSync

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Notesnook

Subscriptions8
  • Notesnook Essential Plan7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Notesnook Believer Plan7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Notesnook Essential Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Notesnook Believer Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year
None

ObSync

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ObSync free?
ObSync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or ObSync?
Notesnook is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 692 ratings, while ObSync averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Notesnook or ObSync have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor ObSync shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or ObSync?
Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, and ObSync every 6 days. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on November 3, 2026 and ObSync on October 31, 2026.

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