While there is no shortage of productivity apps out there, most of them come at the cost of your privacy. The ongoing concern about your personal data, thoughts, and ideas being harvested, misused, or sold can impact your concentration and creativity. Here is where Obsidian, with its local-first principle, emerges as a refreshing alternative. Thanks to its emphasis on local storage and user control, Obsidian has quickly gained popularity among privacy-focused professionals.

Here are seven reasons why Obsidian excels in protecting your privacy compared to other productivity apps.

7 Offline-first solution

As soon as you download and open Obsidian for the first time, it promptly asks you to create a vault (a local folder) on the device. You can pick any location on your device for your folder. I created a new vault in my OneDrive account so that Obsidian is ready to sync on my iPhone and iPad, too.

You can pick a local location in the File Explorer or the Finder app, and even move your notes to an external drive so you can carry your personal notes with you. As an offline-first solution, you won't need to concern yourself with internet connectivity or the risk of cyberattacks. It's clear that Obsidian's basic principles are solid for those who value privacy. The local-first approach is one of the reasons why I switched from Notion to Obsidian and never looked back.

6 End-to-end encryption support

To access their notes across all the devices, most Obsidian users opt to sync their vaults with a cloud storage service. If you opt for the default Obsidian Sync, it encrypts your remote vault and all communications with the company servers. If someone tries to access your Obsidian vault, they need to decrypt it with an encryption password first. You can rest assured that your notes are entirely secure, as even the Obsidian team cannot access them.

The company uses the strongest AES-256 encryption standard to give you total control over your notes. However, do note that if you forget your encryption password, your data remains encrypted and unusable forever. The company can’t reset your account credentials.

In an alternative method, you can let Obsidian manage the encryption password for you. The Sync add-on is an optional purchase, costing only $5 per month.

5 Cross-platform availability

Unlike other productivity apps like Bear Notes, Ulysses, or Craft, Obsidian doesn’t lock you within a specific ecosystem. Since the company’s official apps are available on all platforms, you can download Obsidian on any desktop or mobile platform. Obsidian is also one of the few apps that have a native Linux app.

Whether you prefer Mac, Linux, Windows, or iPad, your Obsidian vault is only a click away. It only lacks a Chromium web clipper.

4 Markdown support

Obsidian uses a Markdown-based text editor. By default, it stores all new notes in the Markdown extension (.md) in your preferred location. Markdown has recently become a widely used language, with even Google Docs offering support for it.

It unlocks much-needed flexibility, and you can open your Obsidian notes with third-party apps as well, giving you more control over your data. In contrast, OneNote and Evernote use a proprietary file type that works only with their respective apps.

3 No data collection

Unlike other productivity apps, Obsidian doesn’t require any sign-up process. You don’t need to share your primary email address and password to use it. You can just create a local folder and start using the app. Because the company doesn't possess your email address, you don't need to be concerned about your account credentials being compromised in the event of a cyberattack at Obsidian.

You only need to share your email address when you sign up for the Sync add-on, which you can easily bypass by using one of the cloud storage services of your choice.

2 Customization options

Here is where Obsidian truly shines over the competition. Not everyone prefers the default plugins and user interface. Thanks to a dedicated theme and plugin store, you have complete control over how your Obsidian vault looks and functions.

Another factor that works in Obsidian’s favor is the vibrant community. Passionate Obsidian users have jumped in to fill in the gaps with custom plugins. For example, you enable advanced tables, Kanban boards, a toolbar, and much more with the help of plugins. Such a diverse selection caters to everyone’s needs.

1 Sync vaults with any cloud storage

When it comes to syncing your notes and vaults across devices, you aren’t limited to using the company’s servers. You can pick any cloud service, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or even Nextcloud, to store your data. I use OneDrive to sync Obsidian files, and for some of my confidential vaults, I rely on OneDrive’s Personal Vault to add an extra layer of security.

The ultimate privacy fortress

Although there are many compelling reasons to prefer Obsidian over its competitors, the primary factor contributing to its rapid popularity is user privacy. That, coupled with useful add-ons like canvas, plugins, theme store, and the ability to visualize your notes with graph view, makes Obsidian a productivity powerhouse for many.

Joplin is another note-taking tool with an offline-first approach. Check out its comparison with Obsidian if you want to learn more about the differences between the two.