# Obsidian vs PDF Dark

The clearest difference is price: Obsidian at Free against PDF Dark's $3.99. Obsidian also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 25%) and rating (4.5 vs 4.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Obsidian is free to download; PDF Dark costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Obsidian holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.8K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Obsidian's written reviews are positive against 25% of PDF Dark's.

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, PDF Dark every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Obsidian | PDF Dark |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews)** | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-dark/id6470178025/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **62.0% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#126** | — |
| Size | 40 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) | [Jorge Lucioni Charalla](https://appshunter.io/developer/1198674844) |

## What reviewers say

### Obsidian

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

**Currently charting:** #126 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


### PDF Dark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-dark/id6470178025)

Transform bright PDF pages into a comfortable dark mode for easier reading at night. Reduce eye strain, improve focus, and potentially save battery life. Enjoy a smoother reading experience on your devices.

**Highlights:** Dark mode for PDFs, Reduced eye strain, Improved focus, Battery saving, Multi-device support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Obsidian free?

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

### Is PDF Dark free?

PDF Dark costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Obsidian or PDF Dark?

Obsidian is rated higher. Obsidian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while PDF Dark averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Obsidian or PDF Dark have ads?

Neither Obsidian nor PDF Dark shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Obsidian or PDF Dark?

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and PDF Dark every 11 months. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on October 15, 2026 and PDF Dark on October 6, 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.*