Obsidian

Name: Obsidian
Author: Obsidian

Free

Obsidian

Category: Documents & PDF
Version: 1.14.4
Manifest checked: 2026-10-23
Size: ~326 MB
Licence terms: Free for personal and commercial use (stated by the vendor)
Supported OS: Windows 11 · 10
Install method: Automatic install supported
Developer: Obsidian
Downloads via this site

Download Add to install list

This links to Obsidian’s own download source. AfterFormat neither stores nor modifies installer files.

Check before installing

Notes are markdown files in a folder on your PC. Backing them up is your job.
It used to require a commercial licence for use at work. It no longer does.

What it is

A notes app that stores everything as markdown files in a folder on your own PC. Nothing is uploaded, so it opens without a connection, and if you stop using the app the notes remain as plain text. Linking notes to each other and viewing those links as a graph is its signature feature.

When to pick this

To keep notes in your own hands and build them up over years. If several people edit the same document or you need table-style management, Notion fits.

Details

The files are yours

Each note is a .md file in a folder. Other programs can open them, and nothing disappears if the service ever does.

Linked notes

Reference one note from another and they connect. The accumulated links can be viewed as a graph.

What is free

Free for personal and commercial use alike. It used to require a commercial licence at work; it no longer does. Only cross-device sync is a paid add-on.

After a reformat

The vault folder is the data

Notes are plain Markdown files, and plugins, themes and settings sit in the .obsidian folder inside the vault. If you backed up the vault folder, "Open folder as vault" on the new install brings everything back.