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It's a split decision.
Choose Obsidian for free personal notes stored as local Markdown, and pay $4/user/month annually only if you need Sync. Choose AFFiNE if documents, whiteboards, databases, and planning belong in one workspace; its free cloud tier has 10 GB storage, 10 MB file limits, three members, and seven-day history. Its Pro plan starts at $6.75/month billed annually. The pricing pages make this a workflow choice, not a like-for-like price comparison.
01Side by side
| AFFiNE | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $6.75/month, Pro billed annually | $4/user/month for Sync, billed annually |
| Free plan | 10 GB storage; 3 members; 7-day history | Free personal notes without limits or signup |
| Best for | Docs, whiteboards, databases, and team planning | Personal knowledge management in Markdown vaults |
| Core strength | Documents, canvases, databases in one workspace | Local Markdown notes, links, graph, plugins |
| Learning curve | Not published on the vendor's site | Not published on the vendor's site |
| Integrations/data | Local-first, open-source workspace; details not stated | Plain-text Markdown files; plugins and open API |
| Team/seat costs | Team: $10/seat/month billed annually | Sync: $4; Commercial: $4.17/user/month annually |
| Support | Community on Pro; priority on Team | Priority support on Sync and Publish |
AFFiNE Choose AFFiNE if
- Choose AFFiNE if you want documents, whiteboards, and databases together.
- Choose AFFiNE if your team needs shared planning in one workspace.
- Choose AFFiNE if Pro's 100 GB storage fits your needs.
Obsidian Choose Obsidian if
- Choose Obsidian if you want free personal Markdown note-taking.
- Choose Obsidian if local plain-text files matter most.
- Choose Obsidian if you want optional Sync from $4/user/month annually.
02Pricing compared
Obsidian is cheaper for personal notes: its core app is free without limits or a sign-up. Sync costs $4 per user/month billed annually, or $5 monthly. AFFiNE’s free cloud tier includes 10 GB of storage, a 10 MB file-size limit, up to three workspace members, and seven-day version history. Pro is $6.75/month billed annually; Team is $10 per seat/month, also billed annually. AFFiNE AI is a separate $8.90/month annual subscription. These prices cover different things: Obsidian charges for sync and publishing, while AFFiNE’s paid plans raise workspace limits and add team features. If you only need local personal notes, Obsidian costs nothing. If you need a shared workspace with documents, whiteboards, and databases, compare AFFiNE’s limits against your team’s needs.
03Features and depth
AFFiNE combines block-based documents, whiteboards, and databases in one workspace, with project planning, templates, and an AI assistant for writing, drawing, and planning. That makes it a closer fit for teams that want written notes, visual work, and structured information together. Its free cloud tier caps workspaces at three members, and the Pro and Team plans raise those limits.
Obsidian centers on local plain-text Markdown files. It links notes, displays their relationships in Graph view, and offers Canvas for arranging ideas in an open space. Plugins, themes, and an open API let users customize it. Sync and Publish are optional paid products; Sync includes end-to-end encryption and shared-vault collaboration, while Publish puts notes on the web. The provided feature lists do not describe Obsidian as an all-in-one database and project-planning workspace. Choose based on whether you want a customizable note vault or a broader workspace, not on feature-count claims.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Obsidian’s basic setup is straightforward if you are comfortable with files and Markdown: notes stay on your device, and you can add links as you write. Its plugin and theme options offer flexibility, but choosing and configuring them can add decisions.
AFFiNE puts documents, whiteboards, and databases together, so there is more workspace surface to learn than a plain note vault. Templates can provide a starting point, and its free tier lets you try the workspace with defined storage and member caps. We would choose Obsidian for a focused notes workflow and AFFiNE when the team needs several work modes in one place.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, AFFiNE or Obsidian?
For personal notes, Obsidian is cheaper: its core app is free without limits or a sign-up. AFFiNE also has a free plan, but its cloud tier lists storage, file-size, member, and version-history caps. Obsidian Sync is $4 per user/month billed annually; AFFiNE Pro is $6.75/month billed annually.
Can I use AFFiNE or Obsidian offline?
Obsidian stores notes as local Markdown files and the product description says they remain accessible offline. AFFiNE is described as local-first and offers a local FOSS option, but the published pricing details do not specify exactly which offline capabilities are available on each plan.
Does Obsidian include cloud sync for free?
No. Obsidian’s core app is free, but Sync is a separate subscription: $4 per user/month billed annually or $5 billed monthly. The listed Sync features include end-to-end encryption, version history, shared-vault collaboration, and priority support.
Which should a team choose for documents, whiteboards, and databases?
AFFiNE is the closer match in the published feature descriptions: it combines documents, whiteboards, and databases, with project planning and collaboration. Its free cloud plan allows up to three members; Team costs $10 per seat/month billed annually. Obsidian focuses on linked Markdown notes, with collaboration available through paid Sync.