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Free Obsidian alternatives
Every pick starts with a genuine free tier, which makes it the easiest way to test a full workflow for zero dollars. Start free and upgrade only when it earns it.
What is the best free alternative to Obsidian?
Raycast is the free Obsidian alternative we recommend first. Raycast is the pick when you want a blazing-fast launcher that replaces a dozen apps., and it leads on ease of use. It scores 4.7 in our testing, and at Free it keeps the monthly bill reasonable. See the full ranked list below to compare every pick.
6 free alternatives worth your time
Raycast
4.7 out of 54.7A blazing-fast launcher that replaces a dozen apps.
Raycast is the pick when you want a blazing-fast launcher that replaces a dozen apps., and it leads on ease of use.
- Well established product with an active user base
- Regular updates and clear roadmap
Airtable
4.6 out of 54.6Connected app platform combining relational database power with spreadsheet simplicity.
Airtable is the pick when you want ops teams, marketers, product managers, and agencies needing relational databases, interface designer apps, and automated workflows., and it leads on relational database power.
- Combines the visual simplicity of a spreadsheet with the relational power of SQL.
- Interface Designer creates custom executive dashboards and client portals effortlessly.
Evernote
4.5 out of 54.5The pioneer digital notebook and document scanner for web clipping, OCR search, and multi-device note archiving.
Evernote is the pick when you want researchers, executives, professionals, and archival users wanting premier web clipper capture, pdf optical character recognition (ocr), and handwritten note search., and it leads on web clipper & article archiving.
- Web Clipper remains superior to all competitors for clean, unformatted web research archiving.
- OCR text recognition accurately searches typed text, scanned PDFs, and messy handwritten notes.
Craft
4.4 out of 54.4Beautiful documents and notes for Apple users.
Craft is the pick when you want beautiful documents and notes for apple users., and it leads on ease of use.
- Well established product with an active user base
- Regular updates and clear roadmap
Bear
4.4 out of 54.4An elegant Markdown note app for Apple.
Bear is the pick when you want an elegant markdown note app for apple., and it leads on ease of use.
- Well established product with an active user base
- Regular updates and clear roadmap
Apple Notes
4.2 out of 54.2The capable notes app built into Apple devices.
Apple Notes is the pick when you want the capable notes app built into apple devices., and it leads on ease of use.
- Well established product with an active user base
- Regular updates and clear roadmap
Obsidian vs the free alternatives
| Tool | Our score | From | Free tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | 4.7 | $0 | Yes | Writers, researchers, and knowledge workers who want a private, extensible, local-first note-taking system built on plain markdown files they fully control. |
| Raycast | 4.7 | Free | Yes | A blazing-fast launcher that replaces a dozen apps. |
| Airtable | 4.6 | $20/seat/mo | Yes | Ops teams, marketers, product managers, and agencies needing relational databases, Interface Designer apps, and automated workflows. |
| Evernote | 4.5 | $14.99/mo | Yes | Researchers, executives, professionals, and archival users wanting premier Web Clipper capture, PDF optical character recognition (OCR), and handwritten note search. |
| Craft | 4.4 | $10/mo | Yes | Beautiful documents and notes for Apple users. |
| Bear | 4.4 | $2.99/mo | Yes | An elegant Markdown note app for Apple. |
| Apple Notes | 4.2 | Free | Yes | The capable notes app built into Apple devices. |
Who stands behind the picks
Obsidian
- Company
- Obsidian (Dynalist Inc.)
- Founded
- 2020
12 hours of testing 2 review rounds Verified 2026-07-01
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