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Notion vs Obsidian

Cloud-first notes/database vs local-first linked notes.

Notion is cloud-collaborative with databases. Obsidian is local-first, markdown, with strong linking for personal knowledge management.

At a glance

NotionObsidian
StorageCloudLocal (syncable)
CollaborationStrongLimited
FlexibilityDatabases + pagesMarkdown + plugins

When to pick Notion

Team collaboration, databases, structured docs.

When to pick Obsidian

Personal knowledge management, local ownership of data.

My verdict

Notion for team. Obsidian for personal deep thinking.

Further reading