Comparison

AFFiNE vs ObSync

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

Head to head
About

AFFiNE

This app combines an infinite whiteboard with notes, documents, and tasks, enhanced by AI. Effortlessly convert visual ideas into text and manage all your projects in one unified workspace. It's designed for visual thinkers and teams to streamline workflows and organize information effectively.

Highlights
  • Infinite whiteboard for visual brainstorming
  • Convert sketches to organized notes/documents
  • All-in-one project, task, and document management
  • AI assistance for writing, summarizing, and answering
  • Real-time collaboration on docs and whiteboards
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

AFFiNE is an open-source, local-first workspace for notes, docs, whiteboards, tasks, knowledge bases, Markdown, and AI. Built in public and trusted by a global open-source community with around 70K GitHub stars and more than 7 million downloads, AFFiNE gives you one place to write, draw, plan, organize knowledge, and keep control of your work. Whether you're capturing personal ideas, organizing class notes, planning a project with a team, building a second brain, or mapping a complex workflow, AFFiNE helps you move from scattered thoughts to structured work without switching between separate note, whiteboard, and task apps. WHY AFFiNE? OPEN-SOURCE AND LOCAL-FIRST AFFiNE started as an open-source project and continues to focus on transparent, user-owned knowledge work. - Work with a product built around openness and data control - Use local-first workflows for personal knowledge and project planning - Choose AFFiNE Cloud or self-hosted workflows for your workspace - Keep Markdown and portability at the center of your writing system NOTES & DOCS Write everything from quick notes to long-form documents. - Capture ideas, journals, meeting notes, class notes, and project plans - Structure information with flexible blocks and connected pages - Use Markdown for clear, portable writing - Turn rough thoughts into organized documents with AI WHITEBOARDS & VISUAL THINKING Switch from structured documents to an infinite canvas whenever ideas need space. - Create mind maps, diagrams, visual notes, and brainstorming boards - Plan product ideas, research flows, study maps, or team workflows - Connect visual thinking with written notes instead of keeping them in separate tools TASKS & PROJECTS Bring planning and execution into the same workspace. - Track to-dos, project notes, decisions, and next steps - Keep tasks close to the documents and whiteboards that explain the work - Organize personal workflows, student projects, creator work, and team planning AI FOR KNOWLEDGE WORK Use AI to help you write, summarize, and structure ideas. - Draft notes and documents faster - Summarize messy information into clearer outlines - Turn brainstorming into structured next steps - Use AI inside the workspace where your context already lives FOR PERSONAL USE AFFiNE works for notes, journals, study planning, research, reading lists, personal knowledge management, and second-brain workflows. FOR TEAMS AND SELF-HOSTED WORKFLOWS Use AFFiNE for shared project knowledge, planning, docs, visual collaboration, and self-hosted workspace needs. SYNC ACROSS DEVICES Keep working across iPhone, iPad, desktop, and web. Start with a thought on mobile, expand it on a canvas, and turn it into organized knowledge when you're back at your desk. AFFiNE is for people who want the flexibility of documents, the freedom of a whiteboard, the structure of tasks, and the trust of open-source software in one workspace. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ObSync

Effortlessly synchronize your Obsidian notes stored in Git repositories across your iPhone and iPad. This app offers one-tap syncing, allowing you to pull the latest changes or push your updates without needing a terminal or complex workarounds. Manage multiple vaults and branches with ease.

Highlights
  • One-tap Git synchronization
  • Read-only or read-write modes
  • Multi-vault support
  • Branch selection per vault
  • Shortcuts and Siri integration
  • Conflict detection and resolution
  • GitHub OAuth for secure login
Read full description

ObSync syncs your git-hosted Obsidian vaults to your iPhone or iPad. One tap to pull the latest, or push your changes back. No terminal, no workarounds, no emulators. Built with SwiftUI and libgit2 for native git performance. Features: • One-tap sync — clone on first run, fetch and update on every sync after • Read-only or read-write — pull only, or auto-commit and push local changes • Multi-vault — sync as many repos as you want • Branch selection — pick which branch to track per vault • Shortcuts & Siri — sync vaults from the home screen or by voice • Conflict detection — warns when local and remote diverge, with a one-tap discard option • GitHub OAuth — secure login, token stored in iOS Keychain • Recent commits — see what changed, open commits directly on GitHub

Screenshots

AFFiNE4 screens
ObSync3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ObSync at none against AFFiNE's 3. ObSync also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). AFFiNE's advantage is ratings volume (36 vs 3). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. AFFiNE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. ObSync asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for AFFiNE against 4.3 for ObSync. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AFFiNE has 36 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, ObSync every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
AFFiNE versus ObSync: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAFFiNEObSync
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (36 ratings)4.3 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings36 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.5 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size239 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToEverythingKarlo Milicic

In-app purchases

3 purchases

AFFiNE

Subscriptions3
  • AFFiNE Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • AFFiNE Pro Yearly$81.001 Year
  • AFFiNE AI Yearly$106.991 Year
None

ObSync

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AFFiNE free?
AFFiNE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ObSync free?
ObSync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AFFiNE or ObSync?
ObSync is rated higher. AFFiNE averages 4.3 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while ObSync averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do AFFiNE or ObSync have ads?
AFFiNE shows ads; ObSync does not.
Which is updated more often, AFFiNE or ObSync?
AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, and ObSync every 6 days. Most recently, AFFiNE was updated on October 24, 2026 and ObSync on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons