Comparison

Joplin vs Obsidian

Compare the facts. Check the scope. Choose what fits.

Documented differences: 0
Same documented value: 3
Need more evidence: 18

Note-taking apps

Joplin

20% Research progress

Dynalist Inc.

Obsidian

46% Research progress

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At a glance

Differences, not an overall ranking

The comparable values we have documented are the same. Open research gaps before drawing a conclusion.

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Open a row for sources and plan limits

Which criteria should be shown? Documented 3 Differences 0 Research gaps 18 All 21

No differences are documented on both sides yet. Check the research gaps or select All.

Pricing

Entry price per month (USD)

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Free tier

Yes

Joplin

Verified71% confidence The Joplin note-taking application is free. Hosted Joplin Cloud is a separate offering; this statement does not describe a free cloud subscription.

Yes

Obsidian

Verified71% confidence Obsidian is free for personal, commercial and non-profit use. Supporter licences are optional; Sync and Publish are separate services.

Same value

Sources for this row

Joplin:

The Joplin note-taking application is free. Hosted Joplin Cloud is a separate offering; this statement does not describe a free cloud subscription.

What is Joplin? | Joplin (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Obsidian:

Obsidian is free for personal, commercial and non-profit use. Supporter licences are optional; Sync and Publish are separate services.

License Overview - Obsidian (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Free trial length (days)

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Public list price

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Security and compliance

Audit log

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Data processing agreement offered

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

EU data residency stated

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

FedRAMP authorisation

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

GDPR compliance stated

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

HIPAA compliance stated

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

ISO/IEC 27001

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

PCI DSS stated

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

SOC 2 Type II

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Platform and integration

Public API

Yes

Joplin

Verified71% confidence The local Data API exposes notes, notebooks and tags when the clipper server is running, using an authentication token. This is a desktop-local API, not an unrestricted hosted service.

Not yet verified

Obsidian

Not yet verified

Needs more evidence

Sources for this row

Joplin:

The local Data API exposes notes, notebooks and tags when the clipper server is running, using an authentication token. This is a desktop-local API, not an unrestricted hosted service.

Joplin Data API | Joplin (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Data export

Yes

Joplin

Verified71% confidence JEX export preserves notes and metadata for re-import into Joplin. Other documented formats include HTML and PDF; their preservation properties differ.

Not researched

Obsidian

Not yet verified

Needs more evidence

Sources for this row

Joplin:

JEX export preserves notes and metadata for re-import into Joplin. Other documented formats include HTML and PDF; their preservation properties differ.

Importing and exporting | Joplin (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Mobile app (iOS or Android)

Yes

Joplin

Verified71% confidence The application is available on Android and iOS, as well as Windows, Linux and macOS.

Yes

Obsidian

Verified71% confidence Obsidian Mobile is available on iOS and Android. Cross-device sync is a separate choice from installing the mobile application.

Same value

Sources for this row

Joplin:

The application is available on Android and iOS, as well as Windows, Linux and macOS.

What is Joplin? | Joplin (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Obsidian:

Obsidian Mobile is available on iOS and Android. Cross-device sync is a separate choice from installing the mobile application.

Obsidian for iOS and Android (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Offline note editing

Yes

Joplin

Verified71% confidence Joplin keeps notes on the phone or computer and documents an offline-first workflow. Synchronising changes between devices still needs a connection.

Yes

Obsidian

Verified71% confidence Obsidian stores notes on the local device and documents offline access. Access to synced updates from another device requires a connection.

Same value

Sources for this row

Joplin:

Joplin keeps notes on the phone or computer and documents an offline-first workflow. Synchronising changes between devices still needs a connection.

What is Joplin? | Joplin (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

Obsidian:

Obsidian stores notes on the local device and documents offline access. Access to synced updates from another device requires a connection.

Obsidian - Sharpen your thinking (Primary documentation), retrieved 2026-10-03

On-premises or self-hosted option

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

SCIM user provisioning

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Single sign-on

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

Uptime commitment (%)

Not yet verified on either side A gap in our research, never a no.

A missing measurement never counts against a product. If we could not reach a document, that is a fact about our research and not about the vendor. Open a row to see the source, its tier and the day we read it.