Comparison

Evernote vs Obsidian

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Evernote

Capture ideas, organize notes, and manage tasks across all your devices. This app helps you tame distractions and accomplish more by bringing your to-dos, schedule, and important information together in one searchable place.

Highlights
  • Capture ideas as searchable notes
  • Create to-do lists with reminders
  • Organize with notebooks and tags
  • Scan and digitize paper documents
  • Sync across all devices
  • Integrate with Google Calendar
  • Web clipping for articles
Features
Read full description

Evernote is your second brain — the place to keep everything that matters and find it again the moment you need it. "…an invaluable tool for organizing a messy digital life." — The New York Times Capture a thought, a to-do, a photo, or a whole project, then let Evernote help you organize it, make sense of it, transcribe a meeting or tidy up a rough draft, and bring it back exactly when it counts. From the first spark of an idea to the finished plan, it all lives in one calm, searchable place — at work, at home, and everywhere in between. CAPTURE ANYTHING Jot a quick note, build a checklist, save a photo, an email or a PDF, or clip an article from the web before it disappears. Type it out, write by hand, snap a picture, or record a voice memo — whatever's fastest in the moment. Your ideas land in one place, ready when you are, so nothing gets lost on a sticky note or buried in your inbox. STAY ORGANIZED, EFFORTLESSLY Sort notes into notebooks and add tags, or just start writing and let structure follow. Group related notes together, pin the ones you reach for most, and keep work, school, and life neatly apart — without spending your day tidying up. Evernote keeps things in order so you can stay focused on the thinking. FIND WHAT YOU NEED, FAST Search across everything you've saved — including the text inside your images and PDFs. Ask in plain language and Semantic Search surfaces the right note, even when you can't remember the exact words or where you put it. The more you save, the more useful it becomes. MEET YOUR AI ASSISTANT Your AI Assistant clears away the busywork so you can stay in the thinking, working quietly alongside you. Record a conversation and Evernote AI transcribes and summarizes it for you; AI Transcription turns audio, images, and video into text; and AI Edit cleans up a rough draft, shortens it, or changes the tone while keeping it in your own voice. PLAN YOUR DAY Add due dates, reminders, and to-dos right inside your notes, so the next step is always clear and nothing slips through the cracks. Check things off as you go and keep momentum without switching apps. WORK EVERYWHERE Your notes sync automatically across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and the web — start on one device and pick up right where you left off on another. Evernote works offline too, so you're never locked out of your own ideas, even when you're far from a signal. FOR WORK, SCHOOL, AND LIFE - Plan projects, prep meetings, and keep every detail in one place. - Take lecture notes, organize research, and study smarter for exams. - Save recipes, plan trips, track goals, and remember the little things that matter. - Keep a journal, draft your next big idea, and capture inspiration whenever it strikes. "Its magic lies in its flexibility." — PCMag However you think, and whatever you're working on, Evernote helps you remember everything and get it done. Capture today's idea — and find it the moment you need it.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Local Markdown file storage
  • Customizable toolbar
  • Graph view for connections
  • Community plugins
  • Themes
  • iCloud sync
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

Screenshots

Evernote4 screens
Obsidian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Obsidian at none against Evernote's 11. Obsidian also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 51%). Evernote's advantage is ratings volume (78K vs 2.7K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. Evernote sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $13.95 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Evernote against 4.5 for Obsidian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Evernote has 78K ratings behind it against 2.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Evernote's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Evernote ships an update weekly, Obsidian every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Evernote versus Obsidian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEvernoteObsidian
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (78K ratings)4.5 (2.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.1% of reviews62.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings78K — better2.7K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#21 — better#124
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size329 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEvernote CorporationDynalist Inc.

Customer experience

Evernote

All ratings77,716 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews4,323 reviews
Positive51.1%
Neutral7.2%
Negative41.7%

Obsidian

All ratings2,674 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,303 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative26.0%

User reviews

Evernote

From 78K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 High quality notes app
  • 🔒 Secure and reliable
  • 👍 Useful features and integrations
  • 👍 Powerful search and organization
  • 👍 Seamless cross-device sync

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable on mobile
  • 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 👎 Declining quality and customer support
  • 👎 Aggressive upselling and limitations on free version

Obsidian

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 👍 Customizable and flexible
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 💡 Innovative note-taking approach
  • 🚀 Smooth mobile experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

Evernote

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notes not saving properly
  • Sync issues between devices
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Search functionality not working as expected
  • Inability to access notes after subscription changes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved mobile app performance and stability
  • Enhanced security features like encryption and two-factor authentication
  • More flexible and affordable subscription options
  • Better customer support and communication
  • Expanded formatting and customization options

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

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Evernote

Subscriptions9
  • Evernote Plus$13.951 Month
  • Evernote Plus2 variants$15.001 Month
  • Evernote Premium2 variants$17.491 Month
Show 6 more
  • Evernote Personal$17.491 Month
  • Evernote Personal7 Days trial$17.491 Month
  • Monthly Personal Plan7 Days trial$17.491 Month
  • Evernote Personal Monthly$17.491 Month
  • Evernote Personal Monthly$22.001 Month
  • Evernote Premium$169.001 Year
None

Obsidian

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Evernote free?
Evernote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Obsidian free?
Obsidian is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Evernote or Obsidian?
Obsidian is rated higher. Evernote averages 4.4 out of 5 from 78K ratings, while Obsidian averages 4.5 from 2.7K ratings.
Do Evernote or Obsidian have ads?
Neither Evernote nor Obsidian shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Evernote or Obsidian?
Evernote ships an update weekly, and Obsidian every 3 weeks. Most recently, Evernote was updated on September 24, 2026 and Obsidian on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Evernote or Obsidian?
Evernote currently peaks at #21 in the App Store charts, and Obsidian at #124. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons