Obsidian has been my main productivity app for months, but I decided to try replacing it with open-source tools to see whether it was really the best option. For a while, some of the apps worked fine, but in the end, I found myself coming back to Obsidian. It fulfills a variety of different purposes all in one application, and the centralized database of knowledge makes it even better. Obsidian might be a closed-source app, but many of its plugins are open-source, and it offers a variety of other open-source benefits.

Obsidian keeps all my notes in one place, rather than a separate app

I don't have to jump between programs to work

For the note-taking side of things, I tried using Joplin. It offered several advantages over Obsidian, including a more streamlined webclipper (I've often found that Obsidian throws a wrench into the formatting of my notes). In addition, Syncthing made it easy to keep everything updated across multiple devices without spending a dime. I used iCloud to sync Obsidian, and even then, the syncing process didn't always work as it should.

But even with my notes being stored in Joplin, I had to use a different application (like WPS Word) to draft documents. Obsidian makes it easy to reference my notes as I'm writing, all within the same application. Despite the hiccups posed by iCloud and the less-than-optimal Obsidian web clipper, I prefer the all-in-one platform versus separating functionality across multiple other apps.

The plugin ecosystem creates workflow options that aren't available elsewhere

The community often responds before developers

Aside from keeping my notes in a single place, Obsidian's plugin ecosystem creates opportunities that can't be recreated in any other single app. For example, I can use Zettlr for academic writing thanks to its fantastic integration with Zotero and its powerful citation features, but Obsidian also offers Zotero integration through a community plugin — and I can set it up to run Dataview queries or create a Base from my references. Sure, there are community plugins for other apps, but none of Notion, Loqsec, or the other options come anywhere near the 2,700+ plugins Obsidian offers.

Open-source apps might eventually reach the same level of functionality that Obsidian offers, but right now, its community drives innovation at such a pace that nothing else can match.

I've yet to find a solution that matches Obsidian's linked knowledge approach

Several apps come close, but none directly hit the mark

It wasn't until I returned to programs outside of Obsidian that I became aware of how much I relied on its interlinking features. Sometimes they don't make much of a difference, but I enjoy finding potential connections between disparate topics. This is made easier through the use of a plugin like Virtual Linker/Glossary; it highlights any text that matches the name of an existing note, so I can choose whether to create a concrete link or not.

Joplin takes a more hierarchical approach to its notes, and that removes the serendipity of finding connections between notes. More than once, I've been deep into a project in Obsidian and noticed a link to another note that led to a new story idea I hadn't previously thought about. And that's what Obsidian is all about at its core, at least in my opinion: helping users connect ideas together in ways they hadn't before.

Open-source apps provide true control

Obsidian is free, but not open-source

Obsidian is often erroneously called open source. While it shares many traits with open-source applications, Obsidian's core code is closed; although you can see parts of it, much of the background code is obfuscated. Joplin and other tools are truly open-source, allowing you to see everything that's happening behind the scenes. You can audit the code yourself. While Obsidian stores your files in markdown language — and thus, you will likely always have access to them — the background processes remain foggy. For users who value transparency, Obsidian misses the mark.

Practical application matters more than true "open source" software

Obsidian is the best option, and it being mostly open-source is just a perk

One of the biggest factors that draws me to the FOSS community is that first letter: free. While I do enjoy open-source tools for their transparency, especially at a time when so many companies are mining and selling my data, I'm willing to use other options if they get the job done — and that's what Obsidian does. Despite trying to replace it, I haven't found anything that gets the job done quite as well as it does.

Open-source apps have their place in my workflow, but they aren't replacing Obsidian

If anything, it's the other way around. I use Obsidian wherever possible, and if I can replace another app with it, great. The ability to consolidate the majority of what I do into a single app removes clutter and stumbling blocks from my workflow and helps me be significantly more productive throughout the day, as opposed to playing hopscotch with a half-dozen open-source tools.