Learning & Knowledge ·
Linko vs Obsidian: Markdown Files You Keep, or Notes That Come Back to You
Linko vs Obsidian: Obsidian keeps local Markdown files you shape with plugins; Linko is a cloud notes app that connects and brings back what you learn.
By Linko team
Linko wrote this page. We make Linko and aren't affiliated with Obsidian; product names belong to their owners.
Obsidian and Linko are both places for your notes. They make opposite choices about where the notes live and who does the organizing.
The short answer: Obsidian stores your notes on your device as plain text Markdown files, and you shape it with thousands of plugins. Linko is a cloud notes app for web, iOS and Android: you write and save, and its AI files your notes under topics, shows related notes, answers questions from them and brings them back each day. If you want files you own and a system you build, pick Obsidian. If you want notes on what you learn to connect and come back without setting anything up, look at Linko.
| Obsidian | Linko | |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Plain text Markdown files on your device | Your Linko account, on the web and in the apps; export everything as Markdown files |
| Organizing | Links between notes, a graph of how they relate, and plugins | Linko files notes and resources under topics; your own tags; related notes on every note |
| Extending it | Thousands of community plugins, and Canvas for laying out ideas | No plugins; Linko for AI tools lets ChatGPT, Claude and others search your notes |
| AI | Not described as built in on Obsidian's site | Ask Linko answers from your notes and resources; Cited lists the sources |
| Coming back | Up to you and your plugins | Daily review turns your notes into questions |
| Articles and videos | Save articles with the official Web Clipper, then write your notes | Each saved article or video gets a page; Key points by section |
| Apps | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android | Web, iOS and Android; no desktop app |
| Sync | Obsidian Sync, a paid add-on with end-to-end encryption | Included: everything is on the web and in the app |
| Free plan | Free; a commercial license is optional | Yes, for your first notes and resources (see Pricing) |
| Paid plans from | Sync $4 a month, billed yearly; Publish $8 a site a month, billed yearly | Pro · Pricing |
What Obsidian does well
- Your notes are plain text Markdown files stored on your device, so any app that reads Markdown can open them (Obsidian).
- You connect notes yourself and see the connections in a graph. Canvas gives you a space to lay out ideas.
- Thousands of community plugins, such as Calendar, Kanban, Dataview and Tasks, let you build the system you want.
- Apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android (Obsidian download).
- Obsidian is free, and a commercial license is optional. Sync ($4 a month, billed yearly) adds end-to-end encrypted sync across devices, and Publish ($8 a site a month, billed yearly) puts notes online (Obsidian pricing).
Details about other apps as of October 28, 2026.
What Linko does differently
- Linko does the filing. It puts your notes and resources under topics, and your own tags hold what you choose. See Tags and topics.
- Related notes appear on every note, and you can link two notes yourself. See Related notes and search.
- Daily review brings back one set of your notes each day as questions: you try to recall the idea, then see what you wrote. See Daily review.
- Ask Linko answers from all your notes and resources and lists what it used, and Linko for AI tools lets ChatGPT and Claude search the same notes.
- It is built for what you read and watch. Save an article or a video from your phone or the browser extension, and it gets a page with what it says and your notes on it.
Where each one stops
- Obsidian: you build the system. Bringing notes back and AI depend on what you set up. Obsidian Sync is a paid add-on, and other ways to sync are up to you.
- Linko: your notes live in your Linko account, not as files on your device. To write summaries, find related notes and answer Ask Linko, Linko sends the content it needs to its AI providers, which don't use it to train their models (Privacy and export). It has no plugins and no desktop app.
Who should pick which
- You want your notes as plain files on your own device → Obsidian
- You enjoy building your own system with plugins, templates and Canvas → Obsidian
- You want a desktop app on Windows, Mac or Linux → Obsidian
- You don't want an AI service to read your notes → Obsidian
- You want notes on what you read and watch connected and brought back, with nothing to set up → Linko
- You want to ask questions of all your notes and see which notes the answer came from → Linko
Linko: free for your first notes and resources, and Pro when you want more. See pricing.
FAQ
Is Linko an Obsidian alternative?
For notes on what you learn, if you would rather have an app organize them and bring them back. If you want local files and full control, Obsidian is built for that.
Can I import my Obsidian vault into Linko?
Not today. Your vault stays as Markdown files on your device, so nothing is lost by waiting.
Can I move my Linko notes to Markdown?
Yes. On the web, Settings → Data exports all your notes and resources as a ZIP of Markdown files. See Privacy and export.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some people keep long-form writing and projects in Obsidian and use Linko for notes on what they read and watch.
More comparisons: Leaving Evernote? and Linko compared with other apps.