# Obsidian vs ReadOS

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ReadOS at 100% against Obsidian's 62%. ReadOS also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5). Obsidian's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 8). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ReadOS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReadOS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.8K ratings behind it against 8, 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 100% of ReadOS's.

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, ReadOS monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Obsidian | ReadOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reados/id6796672534/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#126** | — |
| Size | 39 MB | 993 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) | [秀芳 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893898139) |

## 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 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:** 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


### ReadOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reados/id6796672534)

This app is an AI-powered workspace for iPad that helps you read, research, and create. It connects your source materials and project context, allowing you to move seamlessly from understanding to creation. Features include AI summarization, knowledge mapping, and document analysis.

**Highlights:** AI-powered research agent, Contextual reading and note-taking, Knowledge mapping and visualization, Document, spreadsheet, and presentation creation, Web browsing and data analysis, Audio and video transcription, Multi-step task automation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ReadOS Pro Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| ReadOS Pro Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Obsidian free?

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

### Is ReadOS free?

ReadOS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Obsidian or ReadOS?

ReadOS is rated higher. Obsidian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while ReadOS averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Obsidian or ReadOS have ads?

Neither Obsidian nor ReadOS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Obsidian or ReadOS?

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and ReadOS monthly. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on November 12, 2026 and ReadOS on October 31, 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.*