Obsidian vs MD Flow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Local Markdown file storage
- Customizable toolbar
- Graph view for connections
- Community plugins
- Themes
- iCloud sync
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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
MD Flow
Instantly preview Markdown files with syntax-highlighted code, tables, and Mermaid diagrams. Browse folders with a fast interface and export documents to PDF. This app works directly with your existing file structure without indexing or setup.
- Browse folders with intuitive interface
- Instant Markdown preview
- Syntax-highlighted code blocks
- Rendered Mermaid diagrams
- Export documents to PDF
- Search within current folder
- Table of contents navigation
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MD Flow is a native app for browsing folders and instantly previewing Markdown — beautifully rendered, with syntax-highlighted code, tables, and Mermaid diagrams. No indexing, no workspace, no setup. Just open a folder and start reading. What you can do * Browse folders with a fast, intuitive interface * Instantly preview Markdown, with syntax-highlighted code blocks * See Mermaid diagrams rendered inline — flowcharts, sequence, Gantt, and more * Export any document as a polished PDF, then share or save it — MD Flow Pro * Search within the current folder * Reopen recent files quickly * Navigate long documents with a table of contents * Preview HTML, text, CSV, and RTF files * Works directly with your existing folder structure Built for real workflows MD Flow works with the files you already have: * Documentation folders and README-heavy projects * Technical docs with diagrams and code samples * Exported notes and personal archives * AI-generated summaries, research, and drafts * Writing libraries and file-based knowledge systems A simple, focused experience MD Flow is not a note-taking app, a PKM system, or a Markdown editor. It is a file-first app designed to help you browse and read your files faster, without friction. No import. No duplication. No lock-in. Privacy-first by design * No account required * No tracking * Works locally with your files * You stay in control of your data Pricing MD Flow includes a free core experience. MD Flow Pro is a one-time unlock — including PDF export — that works across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Optional tips are available if you want to support ongoing development.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Obsidian at 4.5 against MD Flow's 1.0. Obsidian also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. MD Flow sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.
Obsidian holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, MD Flow every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Obsidian | MD Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2.8K ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.8K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #119 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dynalist Inc. | Amilcar Zambrano Guevara |
Customer experience
Obsidian
MD Flow
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
MD Flow
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Obsidian
No in-app purchases
MD Flow
- Small Support$1.99
- Medium Support$3.99
- Large Support$5.99
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