I couldn’t get work to pay for it so I found a better, cheaper alternative, Notesnook. It’s open source (client and sync server), you can publish notes, and it’s end-to-end encrypted.
Obsidian is now free for work - Obsidian
Submitted 1 month ago by doopinglouie@feddit.org to technology@lemmy.world
https://obsidian.md/blog/free-for-work/
Comments
Supernova1051@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
AWittyUsername@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It says it’s free, but then there’s a pricing and plans page?
jumponboard@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Notesnook is free. It is developed under gpl github.com/streetwriters/notesnook
blindbunny@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Thanks for sharing I didn’t know about this one and it’s robust as keep
merde@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
i use notally for quick notes and reminders but i needed another organizer for longer text
i started trying notesnook after reading your comment and it looks like what i needed. The only problem is that constant login reminder. Is there a way to get rid of it?
Supernova1051@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I’ve never seen constant login reminders, but I’ve only used it in a browser, and the Android/Window/Linux apps are you seeing it on iOS? Maybe its a bug? If you go to settings in the app and then click “Help and support” > “Report an issue” you can open a github issue. I’ve had really good success in getting issues resolved.
TeamAssimilation@infosec.pub 1 month ago
The community plugin “Google Drive Sync” is free, open source, and lets you (clunkily but effectively) bypass Obsydian Sync. One less server to manage.
Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
There’s also syncthing, which allows syncing a folder… Hell theres even a git plugin to bypass obsidian sync, so you can get version controlled notes (which might be desirable in a work setting)
Supernova1051@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Which is a great workaround but then all your private notes are on Google’s servers, accessible to anyone with enough admin rights on their end. All apps should be end-to-end encrypted going into 2025. There’s no reason security AND privacy shouldn’t be included.
anomoly_@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I just wanted to toss out another thanks for mentioning Notesnook. After a week I’m completely won over.
ddash@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Can you selfhost a sync server? Be completely independent of them?
Supernova1051@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
technically yes. they just recently made the sync server open source - github.com/streetwriters/notesnook-sync-server - but their documentation for it is still pending.
I’ve been following their progress for a while and can say that they appear to be following through on all their goals. and are very responsive to issues on GitHub. but don’t take my word for it, check out their roadmap to see when they release the self hosting documentation- notesnook.com/roadmap/
fxdave@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
It’s interesting that a closed-source app has good reputation among FOSS enthusiasts. Surely they are not a Microsoft or Apple, but still who controls your computer, you or them?
Mic_Check_One_Two@reddthat.com 1 month ago
It stores your data in plaintext, and simply uses the program to parse special formatting characters. The program itself is closed-source, but anyone could write an open source version to parse the same info. Even if Obsidian ceases to exist overnight, the data itself is still safe on your machine and readable by anyone who cares enough to try.
Petter1@lemm.ee 1 month ago
And the old version you have on the pc still works, since there is no cloud communication needed to run it.
T156@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Markdown is also an open format. You aren’t forced to use Obsidian for everything, and there are already numerous programs that are capable of displaying the formatted end-file, because it’s standard markdown.
It’s not some proprietary thing that only Obsidian uses.
Opisek@lemmy.world 1 month ago
There in fact are FOSS alternatives like Joplin. Personally, I actually switched from Joplin to Obsidian due to a larger community (and therefore community-driven plugins) and overall a more polished UX. That being said, I have the security of switching back if Obsidian ever becomes evil or unusable.
Another aspect is that the entire source code is technically viewable (partially obfuscated) since it’s a web app. Having written plugins for Obsidian, you’re very much interacting with the source code itself. Feels like open source with extra steps and I wish one day they will finally make the switch to true FOSS.
null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Hol up. Are notes stored in files in a directory structure or a single file? Just that you said “the file” so I’m wondering.
If so, that’s lock in.
trolololol@lemmy.world 1 month ago
True. The other day I uploaded a photo that should be portrait instead of landscape. I opened Nemo ( Linux file explorer), right clicked to edit image, fixed it, and automatically my note picked up the change.
Similar thing when storing a 1000 line json in the notes
balder1991@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I just wish the price of having the publish feature was slightly lower. They’d get much more subscribers, including me.
trevor@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 month ago
I just cant wrap my head around why they willing to go so far to gain good will from people by having such a generous free tier, but somehow licensing the code under a FOSS license is out of the question??
Why not just go all the way and make sure everyone who cares about reading the souce could also give you free contributions?
trolololol@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Yep and the Android app is full of small things to improve, for sure someone would put in contributions for free
ubergeek@lemmy.today 1 month ago
Well, the good news? A wider audience most certainly means a FLOSS suite that can parse the data from it. It doesn’t seem very opaque, but more like Markup++.
ddash@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
I think the big difference is that you can use it for free without any account needed, and all your data is stored locally in a format that remains accessible to alternative apps.
So the moment they start doing questionable stuff you are not a hostage to their app. There are alternatives, they are just not as nice as this currently.
e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 1 month ago
Obsidian stores the notes in a well known plaintext format on your computer. They can’t easily hold you hostage like with other closed source apps.
franklin@lemmy.world 1 month ago
vk6flab@lemmy.radio 1 month ago
Now that it’s free, are its users the product?
alphabethunter@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Nothing else is changing. No account required, no ads, no tracking, no strings attached. Your data remains fully in your control, stored locally in plain text Markdown files. All features are available to you for free without limits.
fluxion@lemmy.world 1 month ago
“…until we have a large enough userbase to start monetizing and enshittifying…”
RiQuY@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Still closed source.
timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Seems they’ll just keep making money on sync.
tabular@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Doesn’t appear so but there is that potential in a future update as they’re in control of what the software actually does. If data is indeed stored in plain text files then hopefully an alternative software could still read that data.
stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Obsidian files are just Markdown, so there is plenty of software out there today that can parse them. The only thing you might miss is plugins that don’t exist outisd of obsidian.
alphabethunter@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Essentially, just a giant W.
badbytes@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Read whole page. Not sure what Obsidian even is?
generic_computers@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
Note-taking app. Each note is a markdown file, so you can add formatting.
graphene@lemm.ee 1 month ago
A very successful one with a large extension ecosystem to boot.
interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
It’s like trillium, but not open source Here is an enthusiastic person talking about the state of the art of one year ago for 20 minute. youtu.be/XRpHIa-2XCE
towelie@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Its a staggeringly powerful app. Utilizing the markdown format and the Dataview plugin to create queries with metadata in your notes allows you to build INSANE knowledge management systems.
Example of some set ups here: forum.obsidian.md/t/…/81788
nucleative@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Switched from Onenote to obsidian. There was a small learning curve and I had to install some plugins, but I love it. It looks amazing and runs so much faster than OneNote ever did.
667@lemmy.radio 1 month ago
Note linking is what did it for me a few years back. It’s possible in OneNote, and clunky as hell.
I was sold the moment I read links can be wiki style.
Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 1 month ago
So does obsidian support nonlinear spatially organised notes the way onenote does? I’ve been using joplin but without that onenote feature it’s been a bit underwhelming tbh, and I can’t find any software that does it.
SilentKnightOwl@slrpnk.net 1 month ago
You mean like the obsidian canvas?
pycorax@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I would love to move off OneNote but the lack of alternatives that support inking is disappointing.
nucleative@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Obsidian has a plug in for this… here is an announcement from the plugin author: reddit.com/…/alpha_release_of_my_handwriting_plug… (sorry for a reddit link)
blind3rdeye@lemm.ee 1 month ago
For sure. I’ve been looking for a solid OneNote replacement for a few years now. Inking is the only major barrier.
I really like OneNote, and I’ve been using it for more than 10 years. But in recent years, my dislike for Microsoft has grown to the point where I feel I need to stop using all their products.
Right now I’m using xournal++ a lot. It has really excellent drawing functionality; but zero organisational functions. (I’m organising my xournal notes using just file names and folder structure.)
What I really want is integrated xournal support with Obsidian, or Joplin. In Joplin, I’ve tried inserting a pdf into my notes, and telling Joplin to open the pdf by launching xournal++. That sort of works; but the viewing of the pdf in Joplin shows a window-within-a-window; and the creating of new notes is fiddly; so I decided it wasn’t quite good enough.
Dark_Dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
I moved from Google keep notes to obsidian.
As for the onenote its useful for its hand written notes.
Yea i know obsidian has it but i have so many old notes there. But I’m making new notes in obsidian itself
bunkyprewster@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Was there a way to import your Google Keep notes into obsidian?
A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I thought this was about a different obsidian lol
ocassionallyaduck@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Holy shit this is huge. I can finally use obsidian at work! I was avoiding it due to the license and using Logseq. Which, to be fair, did admirably. But it’s much more and Outliner or journaling system than a knowledge base I feel.
KingBoo@lemmy.world 1 month ago
This post was how I learned about Obsidian.
For those of you that love it, how do you use it daily?
artificialfish@programming.dev 1 month ago
Use Logseq. It’s amazing IMO. And OSS
SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
The android app want to quit when you hit the /acl button and it drives my nuts
ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
This is the same conversation they had with reddit for years. It’s being developed for everyone and we’ll make it open some day. Now look what happened.
I use obsidian but only with the bare minimum knowing that I may have to jump ship at any moment.
flop_leash_973@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It is a really good app. But was a pain in the ass to keep the archive in sync using multiple different platforms without paying for their sync addon in my experience. You can roll your own sync with stuff like Syncthing, cloud storage, etc. But the archive had a bad habit of seemingly finding ways to get out of sync.
FireWire400@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I like the Markdown-based approach but Sync is way to expensive for my use-case…
squire3@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Saw this, super cool. Hope they make tons of money with Obsidian Sync
siggsy@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I was using Obsidian for a while, but actually switched when I found an awesome open source alternative, SilverBullet. The best comparison would be “Obsidian but for tinkerers/hackers”.
Data is stored plaintext the same as obsidian - I actually just copy pasted my vault and it worked with exception of wikilinks being absolute paths only - and haven’t looked back
null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
I just don’t see the point of obsidian et al.
Just use a directory structure and save markdown files in it.
There are many apps that are great editors for this structure on every platform. IDK exactly what obsidian does but many editors have zettelkasten (fancy cross links) functionality, just no fancy graph.
Ghostty + helix is the sexxy RN.
Ulrich@feddit.org 1 month ago
I assume this means free for local use? Not any kind of backups?
nikorosso@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Excellent news for myself. I’ve wanted to use this at work but it’s hard enough to convince people to use it without asking for money.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Cool. Available for windows, linux and iOS. I tried to use todoist, but it has some real problems syncing and arranging data. I spent hours creating a worflow only to lose more than half of it when trying to sync it across devices. I hope Obsidian will do better.
ANNOFlo@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Whoo, some good news. Time to ask “Central IT” for it and get ready for another six month rodeo.
BertramDitore@lemm.ee 1 month ago
It’s always been free for me using Mobius Sync…
Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Excellent news ! Excellent note taking applications with its ecosystem of extensions.
Stylus2650@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I wanted to go all in on Obsidian, but in the end I went with “Upnote” which has an easy UI and a lifetime price. (No monthly fees). It’s like a mix of Evernote and OneNote. The Slash commands are so cool too.
Peacecraft@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Dynalist is where it’s at.
Turturtley@aussie.zone 1 month ago
I tried Obsidian, but it didn’t give me anything extra on top of using Helix with Marksman, dprint and git. 1% the ram usage of obsidian, versioning, auto-formatting, link auto-complete, page pickers/traversing, global search, etc. there’s literally no reason to use more electron bloatware.
I basically use Markdown files for anything i would’ve done in Word, and python streamlit + pandas + csv files for anything done in Excel (and capable of handling millions of rows more performantly)
prof@infosec.pub 1 month ago
I don’t necessarily like a few takes in the comments here.
Vibes wise the Obsidian team seems to be great and they don’t seem to have shown any reason why I should distrust them. I love FOSS but gifting others my work doesn’t put food on my table, so in that sense they need to have a lucrative business model which they seem to have established.
I could use SyncThing, Git or other solutions to do synchronisation between my devices but I choose to buy their Sync offer, since I want to support them (they also have EU servers, which need to be GDPR compliant by law afaik).
The closest comparison I could make is NextCloud. NextCloud open sources their software, but they sell convenience. Sure, you could self host it, but paying them to do so for you may be more attractive. In comparison Obsidian is not really complicated to set up or maintain. It’s literally just a MD-editor. So the only convenient thing to sell is synchronisation if you don’t want to put a price tag on the software.
If they open source all their code, some tech wizard will implement a self hosted obsidian sync server with the same convenience as theirs in a day, and the company will lose their revenue stream.
We’ve all been burned by tech bros in one way or another, but I think it’s ok for people to profit off of their IP. And they seem to be doing so with a positive vision. Feel free to let me eat my words if they ever go rogue, but that’s my 2 cents.
ChickenAndRice@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Thanks for the rare, rational comment regarding Obsidian. Many people here seem to think releasing software as closed source automatically means you have something to hide; seemingly forgetting we live in a capitalist system in which you must constantly sell your services to survive. (I am saying this as someone who adores FOSS and donates to most of my homelab software on a regular basis).
I think a more productive way to look at is: is the closed source dev friendly (or at least non-hostile) to the open source community? In the case of Obsidian, they haven’t done anything egregious, and regularly contribute to open source plugins. Furthermore, the notes are stored as markdown files. This gives the user strong resistance against potential enshittification, so even if they did go rogue you can just move to some other text editor lol. Granted, you would miss out on plugins but otherwise that’s a good reason to keep your plugin usage light and plan your Obsidian vault accordingly.
nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 1 month ago
Absolutely. I just have trust issues with closed source software and platforms. Burned too many times.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I absolutely agree. That doesn’t mean the software has to be closed source though, a lot of software works well when sold with paid support, especially to companies.
If the price is low enough, companies will often just pay even if they don’t need the support.
prof@infosec.pub 1 month ago
That’s a bit naive imho. Remaining closed source is a form of IP protection and that’s really ok for what Obsidian is (a markdown editor). There’s just not any benefit for them other than appreciation from FOSS enthusiasts. Also maintaining an open source repository causes a higher workload and they lose a lot of freedom.
If privacy is your concern you don’t need source code anyway. It’s quite easy to sandbox an application like that and analyse network traffic and such. Also Obsidian is built using Electron. That means with enough motivation one could quite easily reverse engineer most of the app. Most of the applications behaviour can also be observed via the integrated dev console, which lets you view source code.
In short I don’t really see the need, unless I want to build or maintain it myself. And I think the negatives far outweigh the positives from the perspective of Obsidians team.
nahostdeutschland@feddit.org 1 month ago
Obsidian is storing everything as plaintext files. Those convenient selfhosted sync solutions have been out there for years.
prof@infosec.pub 1 month ago
It’s not just about syncing files. It’s also the fact I can edit stuff on my tablet and see the changes in almost real time on my laptop with Obsidian Sync. I believe most other solutions wouldn’t play nice with such a workflow.
Daeraxa@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Joplin is more directly comparable. The apps are open source and it offers sync with all kinds of targets. It monetises through a source available sync server (i.e you can run your own but you arent allowed to run it commercially) hosted by Joplin (Joplin Cloud)
For transparency im directly involved with Joplin as a volunteer (less so in recent months admittedly) so yeah, im a bit biased.
magikmw@lemm.ee 1 month ago
One thing that keeps me really calm about obsidian is the plaintext database. I can live with a proprietary db if the code is foss and I can fudge my data out if I need to. If code and db are proprietary, I’m not putting my data there if I can help it.
jumponboard@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Someone develops loqseq which is completely foss and like obsidian. Now I can choose to donate to FOSS or buy closed source. How do you decide?
We just need to establish paying for open source software.