Notion VS Obsidian - Why I Use BOTH

Key Tech/Product Concepts Compared (Notion vs Obsidian)

1) Structure & Data Organization

• Notion: Folder-based organization (“embraces folders”) and encourages a top-down, guided structure. Users are expected to think carefully about how information is visually presented.
• Obsidian: More bottom-up. Notion-like organization is possible (folders, links, tags), but folders are optional—we can link notes directly or use tags, and the vault can be as simple or complex as desired.

Templates focus:

• Notion templates: Portrayed as elaborate, visually designed pages (not primarily time-saving automation).
• Obsidian templates: Described as more oriented toward automation/time-saving.

2) Discoverability & Linking

• Both: Folders/search are similar, but Obsidian adds stronger note-navigation features.
• Obsidian highlights:
  • Tags and links plus especially Graph View, including a local graph view that shows links connected to the current note.
  • The speaker frames this as a major reason notes get “rediscovered” and actively used.

3) Flexibility & Ecosystem / Plugins (Including AI)

• Obsidian flexibility: Vaults can be customized with themes and configuration; you can avoid using certain features entirely.
• Community plugins: Emphasized as a core strength.

AI integration example:

• Claim: Obsidian can interact directly with the OpenAI API (no middlemen) via plugins.
• Compared to Notion, which the speaker claims would require paying extra (e.g., +$10/month) for AI-like features.
• Personal usage example: GPT-3.5 inside Obsidian, ~30 requests/day, under $1/month.

4) Collaboration & Sharing (Where Notion Wins)

• Notion: Best for collaboration—multiple people in a workspace, comments, easy sharing via email, and team-friendly workflow.
• Obsidian: Sharing is described as less straightforward (sharing lacks an “easy” workflow in the speaker’s view).

Tradeoff of Notion collaboration:

• Notes are hosted on Notion servers, requiring a Notion account.

5) Speed, Responsiveness, and Local Performance

• Notion: Web-based; speed depends on Notion servers and your internet.
• Obsidian: Runs locally, so responsiveness isn’t dependent on internet latency/server load.

Personal scale example: thousands of notes / large media vault still stays fast.

6) Privacy & Future-Proofing (Ownership of Data)

• Obsidian: Notes are local Markdown files, claimed to be portable and not “held hostage.”
• Notion: Notes reside on company servers; “future-proofing” is described as weaker because exports are harder/manual.

Privacy framing: Obsidian is positioned as more aligned with true data ownership.

7) Sync, Backups, and Versioning Control

• Obsidian sync: Requires an external sync setup (e.g., iCloud/Google Drive/other) or Obsidian’s paid sync; synced control is more user-driven.
• Notion: Always synced automatically since data is server-based.

Versioning:

• Notion: Version history described as limited to 7/30/90 days depending on plan; unlimited versioning requires Enterprise.
• Obsidian: Versioning is described as controllable via local storage strategies.

Backups:

• Obsidian: Robust automatic backup flows are possible (personal example uses a NAS, incremental backups, nightly backups, etc.).
• Notion: Backups exist via cloud, but the speaker argues that getting local possession requires exports; “automatic backups via API” are described as far from ideal.

8) Suitability / Best Use Cases (Speaker’s Conclusion)

• Obsidian best for:
  • Personal Knowledge Management / “second brain”
  • High discoverability (graph view + linking)
  • Privacy + future-proofing
  • Less need for collaboration
• Notion best for:
  • Project and task management
  • Collaboration, shared workspaces
  • Databases and teamwork workflows
  • Integration with tools like Slack and Google Drive (as stated)

9) Why the Speaker Uses Both

• Obsidian: personal notes, journaling, thinking.
• Notion: work tasks/projects with a team.
• Notes that the channel/team scale could expand; if it does, Notion would likely scale with collaboration needs.
• Mentions Obsidian’s growth (around 1 million users) vs Notion’s scale (around 30 million users) and frames it as not being under venture-capital pressure.

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Reviews/Guides/Tutorial Mentions

• The speaker mentions they have an “extensive playlist” for Obsidian, from basics to advanced, if the viewer wants to learn it.

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Main Speakers / Sources

• Sergio (the person speaking; sponsor credit indicates “from Sergio”)

Sponsor mentioned: brilliant.org