Obsidian is brilliant if you enjoy building your tools. If you would rather write than configure, need encryption without plugins, or want a mobile app that just works, one of these fits better.
Updated September 2026 · Dash teamObsidian earned its following by treating your notes as plain Markdown files and letting a plugin ecosystem grow around them. That freedom is also why people leave: a fresh vault needs hours of setup, multi-device sync costs extra, and locking a sensitive note means trusting a third-party plugin.
Below are eight alternatives, each chosen for a specific reason someone gives up on Obsidian. We make Dash, so it is listed first, and we have tried to describe every app on the same terms.
Obsidian pricing checked on 8 September 2026.
| Feature | Dash | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Works fully offline | ||
| Works without an account | ||
| Notes encrypted at rest on your disk | Locked notes | |
| End-to-end encrypted sync | ||
| Lock the whole app with Touch ID | ||
| Wiki-style [[links]] | ||
| Graph view and plugins | ||
| Notes as plain files you own | Export | |
| Open source app | ||
| Price | $14.99 once | Free; Sync $4/mo |
Wiki-style [[links]], folders and tags like Obsidian, but with encryption, Touch ID and Face ID built in. Works offline on Mac and iPhone with no plugins to configure.
An open-source outliner with block references, daily journals and a graph. The closest thing to Obsidian in spirit.
Open-source notebooks and Markdown with end-to-end encrypted sync to a cloud you choose.
Zero-knowledge encrypted notes with a gentle learning curve and a genuinely usable free tier.
The prettiest Markdown editor on Apple platforms, with nested tags instead of folders.
Block-based documents with pages inside pages and lovely sharing.
Local-first objects and relations with peer-to-peer encrypted sync. Ambitious and improving fast.
Free, fast and already installed. With tags, Smart Folders and locked notes it covers more than people expect.
Links, folders and encryption without plugins — try Dash
Get Dash for MacObsidian Sync is genuinely end-to-end encrypted: notes are encrypted before they reach Obsidian’s servers, so the company cannot read them, for $4 a month billed yearly. That part is well built, and often misdescribed elsewhere.
What stays unprotected is the vault itself. Your Markdown files sit in the clear on your disk, in your backups, and in any folder you happen to sync with something else. Full-disk encryption helps when the machine is off and does nothing while you are logged in. That gap is what an app with per-note encryption closes, and it is why people who otherwise like Obsidian go looking.
Keep the links. If you rely on [[wiki links]] between notes, make sure the replacement has them. Dash, Logseq and Bear do; Apple Notes and Notesnook do not.
Decide how much you want to configure. Logseq and Anytype reward tinkering the way Obsidian does. Dash, Bear and Apple Notes are opinionated: open them and write.
Check whether encryption is built in or bolted on. Note locking in Obsidian depends on community plugins. Dash, Notesnook and Standard Notes encrypt without any of that.
Test the mobile app first. Desktop-first tools often feel cramped on a phone. Dash was redesigned for iPhone in 2026 with a full-width notes list and swipe to lock or trash.
You never need a subscription to take notes.
No purchase, no trial, no account
Keeps Mac, iPhone, iPad and web in step, encrypted on your device first. Dash works completely without it — notes, encryption and everything else.
Dash gives you [[page links]], folders, tags and built-in encryption on Mac and iPhone. $14.99 one-time on Mac.
