# Obsidian vs Kite

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kite at 100% against Obsidian's 62%. Kite also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). Obsidian's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 4). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Kite sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kite 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 4, 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 Kite's.

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, Kite every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Obsidian | Kite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kite-notes-habits-and-journal/id6816616979/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#112** | — |
| Size | 39 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) | [Munaz Prasla](https://appshunter.io/developer/6816616981) |

## What reviewers say

### Obsidian

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

**Currently charting:** #112 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


### Kite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kite-notes-habits-and-journal/id6816616979)

Consolidate your notes, calendar, to-do lists, habit tracker, and journal into a single, private application. Plan your day, organize thoughts, and build routines without needing an account or cloud storage. Everything is stored securely on your device.

**Highlights:** Rich-text notes with organization, Integrated calendar with month, week, day views, Task management with reminders, Habit tracking with progress visualization, Daily journaling with mood tracking, Personal and Work profiles, Wi-Fi sync with desktop versions

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14-day Trial | Free | one-time |
| Unlock Kite | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Obsidian free?

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

### Is Kite free?

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

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

Kite is rated higher. Obsidian averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Kite averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Obsidian or Kite have ads?

Neither Obsidian nor Kite shows ads.

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

Obsidian ships an update every 3 weeks, and Kite every 10 days. Most recently, Obsidian was updated on November 3, 2026 and Kite on October 26, 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.*