Kitsmith / Utilities / Obsidian
A local-first notes app that stores everything as plain Markdown files on your device — free with no feature paywall, plus optional paid Sync and Publish add-ons.
Our take
The flagship “second brain” pick for a reason: notes stay as plain Markdown files you own, not a proprietary database, and the core app has no feature paywall found at verification time. Sync (end-to-end encrypted cross-device sync) and Publish (turn notes into a website) are optional paid add-ons layered on top, not required to use Obsidian itself — and the company’s own manifesto says it’s self-funded, with no outside investors.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Proprietary
- Requires
- macOS 12 or newer (Homebrew cask requirement)
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
Do you use Obsidian?
Who made this
Obsidian’s own About page credits Shida Li (@licat, CTO) and Erica Xu (@silver, COO) as co-founders — "Erica started Obsidian in 2020 to build the perfect note-taking app for her notes." The same page states the company is "100% supported by our users, not investors."
What it does
Local-first Markdown files
Notes are stored as plain-text Markdown files on your own device, not a proprietary database.
Linking & graph view
Link notes together and visualize the connections in an interactive graph.
Community plugins
Thousands of community-built plugins and themes extend the app.
The deal
- Free to use, no feature paywall found
- Optional paid add-ons: Sync and Publish (see obsidian.md/pricing)
- Self-funded — no outside investors, per the company’s own manifesto
Obsidian — questions people ask
Is Obsidian free?
Yes, the core app is free with no feature paywall found at verification time. Optional paid add-ons (Sync, Publish) are separate.
Who makes Obsidian?
Erica Xu and Shida Li, who co-founded the project; the company says it’s self-funded with no outside investors.
Does Obsidian lock in my notes?
No — notes are stored as plain Markdown files on your own device, so they stay portable.
Is Obsidian free?
Obsidian is free to use with optional paid unlocks.
Does Obsidian work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Obsidian lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Obsidian?
Obsidian is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 27, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.