# Obsidian vs Freeform

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Freeform at 440K against Obsidian's 2.7K. Freeform also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 62%). Obsidian's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#136 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Obsidian against 4.6 for Freeform. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freeform has 440K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Obsidian's written reviews are positive against 73% of Freeform's.

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, Freeform every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Obsidian | Freeform |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews) | **[4.6 (440K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freeform/id6443742539/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K | **440K** |
| Positive reviews | 62.1% of reviews | **72.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#136** | — |
| Size | 38 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Obsidian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442)

**Currently charting:** #136 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Freeform

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freeform/id6443742539)

This app provides a flexible canvas for bringing ideas to life. It supports various file types, drawing tools, and shape libraries for creative projects. Real-time collaboration with multiple users is also a key feature.

**Highlights:** Flexible canvas for ideas, Supports photos, video, audio, documents, PDFs, web links, Drawing with finger or Apple Pencil, Library of over 700 shapes, Built-in document scanner, Real-time collaboration with up to 100 users, Integrated Messages and FaceTime

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for note-taking and organizing
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Excellent for creative projects
- 💡 Useful for brainstorming and mind mapping
- 🤝 Helpful for collaboration and sharing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🤔 Laggy performance, especially with complex boards
- 🤷‍♀️ Lack of organizational features like folders
- 📦 Issues with syncing and sharing boards

**Reported bugs**

- Boards randomly disappearing or not syncing properly
- Writing and drawing becoming unresponsive or laggy
- Overlapping and misaligned elements after editing
- Inability to rotate or resize objects accurately

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve Apple Pencil integration with pressure sensitivity
- Implement undo/redo shortcuts
- Allow for grouping and aligning of objects
- Add more shape and text formatting options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Obsidian free?

Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Freeform free?

Freeform is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Obsidian or Freeform?

Freeform is rated higher. Obsidian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Freeform averages 4.6 from 440K ratings.

### Do Obsidian or Freeform have ads?

Neither Obsidian nor Freeform shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Obsidian or Freeform?

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and Freeform every 3 months. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on September 29, 2026 and Freeform on September 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*