Comparison

Obsidian vs Visuel

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 stores your notes as plain text Markdown files. Access your personal second brain on any device, with extensive customization options and community-driven plugins.

Highlights
  • Local Markdown file storage
  • Customizable toolbar
  • Graph view
  • Community plugins
  • Themes
  • Sidebar pinning
  • iCloud vaults
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

Visuel

Read full description

Plan visually. Visuel puts your tasks, projects and notes on a visual canvas, so you can see how everything fits together. Start with one idea. Branch it into tasks, notes and subprojects. When it’s time to act, open any branch as a focused list and work through it. PLAN ON A CANVAS Plan a trip, organize your home, map out a project or break down something you’ve been putting off. • Add tasks anywhere on the canvas • Drag nodes into place • Build projects as deep as you need • Use colors and emoji to make important areas easy to spot • Add tasks quickly by dragging the + button exactly where they belong SWITCH FROM PLANNING TO DOING Your canvas gives you the big picture. Lists help you focus on what comes next. Open any branch to see its tasks as a structured list, reorder them, add new ones and check them off. • See progress for each project • Schedule tasks for Today, Upcoming or Not Now • Defer tasks until the day you need them • Set deadlines, reminders and repeats • See calendar events alongside your tasks • Use tags to filter what matters • Capture loose tasks in Inbox, find completed work in Logbook KEEP NOTES WHERE THEY BELONG Not everything is a task. Visuel also gives you note nodes for ideas, reference material, plans and anything you want to keep beside the work it relates to. Tasks and notes can include rich content such as: • Headings • Checklists • Tables • Photos • Highlights • Link previews Tap any node on the canvas to see its details without losing your place. No account to create, nothing to set up. Open Visuel and start planning. Your data is stored in your own iCloud and syncs across your iPhones signed in to the same Apple Account. VISUEL PLUS Visuel is free for everyday use, with all features available to everyone. The free version includes 3 workspaces with up to 100 nodes each. Completed nodes don’t count toward the limit, and your Inbox has no limit. For those who need more space, Visuel Plus removes both limits. It’s available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Terms of Use: https://visuelapp.com/terms/ License (Apple’s standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://visuelapp.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Obsidian4 screens
Visuel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against Visuel's 2. Obsidian also leads on chart position (#120 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads 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. Visuel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, Visuel every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Obsidian versus Visuel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsidianVisuel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#120 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDynalist Inc.JOSEF MAWAS

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

Visuel

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Visuel

Subscriptions2
  • Visuel Plus$4.991 Month
  • Visuel Plus$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Obsidian free?
Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Visuel free?
Visuel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Obsidian or Visuel have ads?
Neither Obsidian nor Visuel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Obsidian or Visuel?
Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and Visuel every 2 weeks. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on November 9, 2026 and Visuel on November 9, 2026.

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