Comparison

Obsidian vs iPDF local

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

iPDF local

Features
Read full description

Edit and sign PDFs directly on your iPhone, iPad or Mac with Apple silicon. Scan documents using the camera on your iPhone or iPad. iPDF local is your private PDF workspace for everyday document tasks. Open PDFs, add text, highlight content, draw, manage pages or scan documents with a modern interface and without unnecessary cloud dependency. EDIT PDFs WITH EASE • Add text and edit your own text objects • Draw with a pen or highlight content • Add circles, rectangles and stamps • Adjust color, opacity, background and line width • Move, rotate, resize or delete objects • Rotate, reorder, add and remove PDF pages • Create new PDFs • Scan documents with the camera on supported iPhones and iPads • Export and share PDFs PRIVATE AND LOCAL The local PDF editor does not require an account with us. Documents and drafts are stored locally. You decide when to export them or process them with a server you configured yourself. No unnecessary cloud. No data collection by iPDF local. Your documents stay under your control. PRO FOR POWERFUL WORKFLOWS With Pro, iPDF local also becomes a powerful frontend for your own document infrastructure. STIRLING PDF Connect your own Stirling PDF server for advanced tools including: • Merge and split PDFs • Compress files • OCR • Crop and rotate pages • Protect PDFs • Add watermarks • Convert documents • Sanitize PDFs • And more Stirling PDF tools NEXTCLOUD Browse files in your private Nextcloud, open documents directly in iPDF local and return finished files to your own workflow. PAPERLESS-NGX Search your Paperless-ngx archive, open documents in iPDF local and send finished documents back to your document system. FOR EVERYONE — AND POWER USERS You do not need your own server to use iPDF local as a PDF editor. But if you already use Stirling PDF, Nextcloud or Paperless-ngx, iPDF local grows into an exceptionally powerful mobile document workflow. Start for free. Basic includes local editing, page controls and single-page scans. Pro adds handwritten signatures, editable sharing, multi-page scans, non-PDF imports and server integrations. Conversions and server tools require the corresponding service you configure. Unlock Pro Lifetime once — no new subscription required. The current price for your region is shown before purchase. The editor adds PDF content; it does not reconstruct existing PDF body text. Handwritten signatures are not qualified digital signatures. iPDF local is an independent app and is not affiliated with Stirling PDF, Nextcloud or Paperless-ngx.

Screenshots

Obsidian4 screens
iPDF local4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against iPDF local's 4. Obsidian also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#120 vs unranked). 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. iPDF local sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, iPDF local every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Obsidian versus iPDF local: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsidianiPDF local
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#120 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDynalist Inc.Thomas Rhode

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

iPDF local

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

iPDF local

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$2.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Purchase$8.99

Questions

Is Obsidian free?
Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iPDF local free?
iPDF local is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Obsidian or iPDF local have ads?
Neither Obsidian nor iPDF local shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Obsidian or iPDF local?
Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and iPDF local every 3 months. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on October 17, 2026 and iPDF local on October 3, 2026.

Other comparisons