Comparison

Obsidian vs Gemini Notebook

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

Head to head
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

About

Gemini Notebook

This AI-powered tool transforms complex information from various sources into clear, understandable insights. It allows users to upload documents, websites, and videos, then ask questions and receive summarized answers with inline citations. Users can also generate podcast-style audio discussions for a different learning experience.

Highlights
  • Upload PDFs, websites, and videos
  • AI-powered summarization
  • Ask questions about sources
  • Inline source citations
  • Podcast-style audio overviews
  • Offline access
Read full description

Turn complexity into clarity with Gemini Notebook, your brain’s new best friend. Join the millions of students, creators, researchers, professionals, CEOs, and more who are saving time, getting stuff done, and learning in new ways. “One of the most compelling and completely flabbergasting demonstrations of AI’s potential yet.” – The Wall Street Journal Now, with the Gemini Notebook app, you can create and access notebooks, ask questions whenever you think of them, and listen to your podcast-style Audio Overviews on the go with background playback and offline support. UPLOAD SOURCES Upload all your long and complex PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, or text into a notebook. INSIGHTS YOU CAN TRUST Gemini Notebook becomes an expert on your sources, summarizing them and making interesting connections. Then, you can ask it questions about, well, anything — and you can trust the answers, since your sources are cited in-line. LEARN YOUR OWN WAY Long blocks of text not your preferred way to learn? Transform what you uploaded into something more your speed, like a podcast-style audio discussion with two engaging AI hosts. You can even join the show to ask questions or steer the conversation in a different direction.

Screenshots

Obsidian4 screens
Gemini Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against Gemini Notebook's 26. Obsidian also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Gemini Notebook's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (63K vs 2.8K). On price, 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. Gemini Notebook sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gemini Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gemini Notebook has 63K ratings behind it against 2.8K, 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 79% of Gemini Notebook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, Gemini Notebook weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Obsidian versus Gemini Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsidianGemini Notebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.8K ratings)4.9 (63K ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews78.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K63K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#134#37 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB211 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDynalist Inc.Google

Customer experience

Obsidian

All ratings2,757 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,324 reviews
Positive62.0%
Neutral11.8%
Negative26.2%

Gemini Notebook

All ratings62,681 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews2,144 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral6.2%
Negative15.0%

User reviews

Obsidian

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Gemini Notebook

From 63K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and accurate audio summaries
  • 👍 Useful for learning and studying
  • 🚀 Convenient mobile access
  • 👍 Great for on-the-go use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio volume issues
  • 🔍 Missing key features from web version
  • 🔍 Lack of customization options
  • 🔍 Inconsistent dark mode implementation

Bugs and 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

Gemini Notebook

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Audio coming through earpiece instead of speaker
  • Interactive features not working properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to curate audio summaries
  • Sync saved notes from web version
  • Add mind maps, study guides, and other advanced features

In-app purchases

None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

15 purchases

Gemini Notebook

Subscriptions15
  • 100 GB2 variants$1.991 Month
  • 200 GB$2.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (400 GB)2 variants$4.991 Month
Show 12 more
  • Google AI Plus (400 GB)1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Google AI Plus (2 TB)2 variants$9.991 Month
  • Google AI Pro (5 TB)2 variants$19.991 Month
  • Google AI Pro (5 TB)1 Month trial2 variants$19.991 Month
  • 100 GB2 variants$19.991 Year
  • 5 TB2 variants$24.991 Month
  • 200 GB2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Google AI Plus (400 GB)$49.991 Year
  • 10 TB2 variants$49.991 Month
  • Google AI Pro (5 TB)$199.991 Year
  • Google AI Pro (2 TB)$199.991 Year
  • Google AI Ultra (30 TB)2 variants$249.991 Month

Questions

Is Obsidian free?
Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gemini Notebook free?
Gemini Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Obsidian or Gemini Notebook?
Gemini Notebook is rated higher. Obsidian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Gemini Notebook averages 4.9 from 63K ratings.
Do Obsidian or Gemini Notebook have ads?
Neither Obsidian nor Gemini Notebook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Obsidian or Gemini Notebook?
Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and Gemini Notebook weekly. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on October 13, 2026 and Gemini Notebook on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Obsidian or Gemini Notebook?
Obsidian currently peaks at #134 in the App Store charts, and Gemini Notebook at #37. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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