# Evernote vs Obsidian

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.

Both are free to download. Evernote sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $13.95 per month. Obsidian asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Evernote | Obsidian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (78K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/evernote-ai-notes-and-notebook/id281796108/reviews) | **[4.5 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **78K** | 2.7K |
| Positive reviews | 51.1% of reviews | **62.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#21** | #128 |
| Size | 329 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Evernote Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/281796111) | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) |

## What reviewers say

### Evernote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/evernote-ai-notes-and-notebook/id281796108)

**Currently charting:** #21 Top Grossing · Productivity, #206 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Evernote Plus | $13.95 | per month |
| Evernote Plus | $15.00 | per month |
| Evernote Premium | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal | $17.49 | per month |
| Monthly Personal Plan | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal Monthly | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal Monthly | $22.00 | per month |
| Evernote Premium | $169.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

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

**Currently charting:** #128 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** 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


## Frequently asked 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 #128. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*