Compose vs Obsidian
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Compose
This app offers a streamlined way to compose and send emails without the distractions of a full inbox. It focuses on a minimalist writing experience, allowing users to quickly draft messages. Email accounts must be pre-configured on the device.
- Minimalist email composition
- Distraction-free writing environment
- Quick message drafting
- Requires device email configuration
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Compose is a simple little app that lets you send email without being overwhelmed by what's in your inbox. Just open compose and start writing. Currently, Compose requires email accounts to be configured on your device.
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.
- Local Markdown file storage
- Customizable toolbar
- Graph view for connections
- Community plugins
- Themes
- iCloud sync
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Obsidian at 4.5 against Compose's 3.9. Obsidian also leads on ratings volume (2.7K vs 7) and chart position (#140 vs unranked). Compose's advantage is iOS requirement (8.1 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Obsidian holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obsidian has 2.7K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Compose's written reviews are positive against 62% of Obsidian's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
| Parameter | Compose | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (7 ratings) | 4.5 (2.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 62.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 2.7K — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #140 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.1 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cluster Labs, Inc. | Dynalist Inc. |
Customer experience
Compose
Obsidian
Bugs and requests
Compose
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Compose
No in-app purchases
Obsidian
No in-app purchases
