# iSilo vs Obsidian

The clearest difference is price: Obsidian at Free against iSilo's $9.99. Obsidian also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 50). iSilo's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Obsidian is free to download; iSilo costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Obsidian holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.8K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of iSilo's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iSilo | Obsidian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.8 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isilo/id284979163/reviews) | **[4.5 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obsidian-connected-notes/id1557175442/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 50 | **2.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 50.6% of reviews | **61.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #137 | **#116** |
| Size | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DC & Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284947607) | [Dynalist Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195392807) |

## What reviewers say

### iSilo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isilo/id284979163)

**Currently charting:** #137 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Read various document formats including iSilo, Palm Doc, and plain text. Access a vast library of content, organize your files, and customize viewing options for a personalized reading experience. Transfer documents easily via USB, Wi-Fi, or web download.

**Highlights:** Supports iSilo, Palm Doc, and plain text formats, Extensive document library and creation tools, Organize documents with categories and favorites, Customizable viewing options (font, colors, themes), Autoscroll, full-screen, and orientation support, Text search, copy, and annotation, Multiple document transfer methods (USB, Wi-Fi, Web)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Works well with Christian books
- 📚 Excellent for reading documents with embedded hyperlinks
- ⚡ Fast and smooth on many devices
- 🙌 Hands down a life-saving app
- 🏆 Basic but wonderful functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes upon opening
- 🐛 Unable to download new material since 2017
- 🐛 Crashes when trying to open code-protected file
- 🐛 Scrolling issues and performance problems
- 🤖 Outdated and abandoned by developers

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to open certain file formats
- Displaying issues with Palm format (PDB) files
- Inability to download files from Dropbox
- Text going off-screen after recent updates
- Bookmarks and annotations not syncing across devices

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode feature
- Improve text highlighting and annotation capabilities
- Implement cloud sync and cross-device support
- Modernize the user interface
- Add support for iOS Files app


### Obsidian

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

**Currently charting:** #116 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 iSilo free?

iSilo costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Obsidian free?

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

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

Obsidian is rated higher. iSilo averages 3.8 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Obsidian averages 4.5 from 2.8K ratings.

### Do iSilo or Obsidian have ads?

Neither iSilo nor Obsidian shows ads.

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

iSilo ships an update every 3 weeks, and Obsidian every 3 weeks. Most recently, iSilo was updated on October 18, 2026 and Obsidian on October 19, 2026.

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

iSilo currently peaks at #137 in the App Store charts, and Obsidian at #116. 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.*