BrainVault vs Obsidian: A Detailed Comparison
Both are excellent local-first note-taking apps, but which one is right for you? Here's an honest, detailed comparison to help you decide.
The Bottom Line Up Front
Choose BrainVault if you want a simpler, completely free tool with no upsells. Perfect for writers, students, and developers who want markdown notes without complexity.
Choose Obsidian if you need extensive customization via plugins, already have a large vault, or want official mobile apps with paid sync.
Feature Comparison
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Pricing: Free vs Free (with Catches)
BrainVault is completely free—no paid tiers, no sync upsells, no publish fees. Everything is included, forever.
Obsidian is free for personal use, but Sync ($8-16/month) and Publish ($16/month) are paid add-ons. For many users, this means paying $96-192/year for features like cloud sync. BrainVault offers manual sync options (Git, Dropbox, etc.) at no cost.
Privacy & Open Source
BrainVault is fully open source (MIT license). Every line of code is public and auditable. No telemetry, no account required, no data collection.
Obsidian's core is closed-source, though plugins are open. They respect privacy well, but you'll need to trust their word. If full transparency matters, BrainVault wins here.
Simplicity vs Extensibility
BrainVault is intentionally simple. It does markdown notes, wiki links, search, and graph views—nothing more. No settings overload, no plugin rabbit holes. Just write.
Obsidian has 1000+ community plugins for tasks, calendars, Kanban boards, and more. This is powerful but can be overwhelming. If you want extensibility, Obsidian excels. If you want focus, BrainVault is cleaner.
Sync & Mobile
BrainVault doesn't have built-in cloud sync yet. You can use Git, Syncthing, Dropbox, or any file sync tool. Mobile apps are planned but not available yet.
Obsidian has official mobile apps (iOS/Android) and paid Obsidian Sync. If mobile access is critical right now, Obsidian is the better choice.
Migration from Obsidian to BrainVault
Since both apps use plain Markdown files with [[wiki links]], migration is seamless:
- Export your Obsidian vault (it's already just markdown files)
- Open BrainVault and point it to the same folder
- All your notes, links, and structure work immediately
No conversion tools, no data loss, no vendor lock-in.
Our Honest Take
Obsidian is excellent. It has a huge community, mature mobile apps, and endless customization. If you need plugins or mobile access today, go with Obsidian.
BrainVault is for people who want simpler, freer, and more transparent software.No paid tiers, no account signup, no closed-source components. If those values resonate, give BrainVault a try.
Ready to Try BrainVault?
Compare with: Notion • Roam Research • Evernote