# Obsidian vs Ellipsus

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against Ellipsus's 1. Obsidian also leads on ratings volume (2.8K vs 173). Ellipsus's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ads, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ellipsus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ellipsus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.8K ratings behind it against 173, 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 85% of Ellipsus's.

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, Ellipsus every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Obsidian | Ellipsus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews) | **[4.8 (173 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ellipsus/id6800009917/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | 173 |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | **84.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #130 | **#108** |
| Size | 39 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) | [Ellipsus](https://appshunter.io/developer/1797339143) |

## What reviewers say

### Obsidian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442)

**Currently charting:** #130 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Organize your thoughts and knowledge with a powerful, local-first note-taking app. Build your personal knowledge base using plain text Markdown files, accessible across devices. Customize your experience with themes and plugins for a truly personal workflow.

**Highlights:** Local Markdown file storage, Customizable toolbar, Graph view for connections, 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


### Ellipsus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ellipsus/id6800009917)

**Currently charting:** #108 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This creative writing tool facilitates seamless collaboration for authors, editors, and co-writers. It offers real-time co-authoring, robust draft management with version control, and distraction-free writing environments. Easily share and export your work in various formats.

**Highlights:** Unlimited documents, drafts, folders, and collaborators, Real-time collaboration with commenting and chat, Version history and version control for drafts, Built-in writing sprints and timers, Import from Markdown, export to PDF/AO3, Distraction-free minimalist design, Privacy-focused with no generative AI or tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ellipsus Lifetime | $99.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Obsidian free?

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

### Is Ellipsus free?

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

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

Ellipsus is rated higher. Obsidian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Ellipsus averages 4.8 from 173 ratings.

### Do Obsidian or Ellipsus have ads?

Neither Obsidian nor Ellipsus shows ads.

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

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ellipsus every 3 days. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on November 14, 2026 and Ellipsus on November 13, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Obsidian or Ellipsus?

Obsidian currently peaks at #130 in the App Store charts, and Ellipsus at #108. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*