Obsidian vs Notion in 2025 – A Messy, Honest Comparison of Note-Taking Apps

 

Comparing Note-Taking Apps: Obsidian vs. Notion in 2025 – A Messy, Honest Take

I’ve been a messy note-taker all my life. Like, scribbles-on-the-back-of-a-bus-ticket kind of messy. For years, I tried everything—from Google Docs to random sticky notes on my laptop screen. Nothing really stuck. (Pun not intended. Maybe a little.)

But in 2025, the two apps that seem to rule the note-taking kingdom are Obsidian and Notion. Everyone has strong opinions about both. I didn’t mean to fall into this rabbit hole, but a few months ago I did—and now I’m writing this blog because I need to process all the chaos these apps have introduced into my life.

This isn’t a feature-by-feature breakdown. You can Google that. This is more like... how each tool felt to use. The highs, the weird frustrations, and what worked for me.

Let’s Start with Notion

Notion was my first love. The interface is beautiful—like, annoyingly beautiful. It makes you want to organize your whole life into dashboards and minimalist templates. You start thinking, “Maybe I can be one of those aesthetic productivity people.”

At first, I was obsessed. I had a page for everything—daily tasks, goals, book notes, even a silly list of things I wanted to say if I ever met Taylor Swift (don’t ask).

But here’s what happened.

After about two weeks... I started dreading opening it.

It was too polished. Too much clicking. Too many nested pages inside nested pages.

It became like opening a fancy closet full of labeled boxes, but never finding what you actually need. Like I was spending more time setting up productivity than actually being productive.

Also—and this is probably just me—it was kinda slow. I’d try to jot a thought down quickly, and boom: loading. Or formatting glitch. That tiny lag made me reach for my phone’s notes app instead. Again.

And the worst part? When the internet cut out at a café, I couldn’t access anything. It felt like a betrayal. Notion, I thought we were in this together?

Still, I get the hype. It’s incredible for teams. For building complex dashboards, wikis, planners—it’s got all the toys. But for raw thoughts? For capturing that weird idea at 2:17 a.m.? Not quite.

Enter: Obsidian (The Quiet Wizard of the Note-Taking World)

Now, Obsidian... was different.

It’s not cute. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t hold your hand. But damn, once you get used to it, it feels like home. At least for someone like me who thinks in scattered, nonlinear bursts.

Obsidian is local-first. Which means—hallelujah—I can write even when the Wi-Fi dies. It saves to plain text Markdown files, so my notes don’t feel trapped in some app’s ecosystem. That gave me a weird sense of freedom I didn’t know I needed.

But the best part? The linking.

You know those moments when you’re writing a random note about a marketing idea, and suddenly you remember a podcast you listened to six weeks ago that kinda relates? In Obsidian, you just double-bracket that memory—[[Podcast Notes - Ep 17]]—and boom, it links up. Like magic.

Your notes start forming this spider web of thoughts. You see connections you didn’t plan. It’s messy. And so damn real.

Yes, the learning curve is steeper than Notion. I mean, I spent a whole evening just figuring out how to make a decent task list. And don’t even get me started on the plugin rabbit hole. (Though shoutout to the community—those devs are wizards.)

But once I stopped trying to “make it perfect” and just used it as a second brain, it clicked.

The Vibe Test: Notion vs. Obsidian

• Notion is that polished productivity YouTuber who color-codes everything and makes you want to get your life together.
• Obsidian is that quiet friend who listens deeply, doesn’t care about aesthetics, and surprises you with the smartest insights.

Notion shines when I need to present something—like planning a project with others or writing a structured report.

Obsidian wins when I’m trying to figure out something—be it a blog idea, life plan, or late-night spiral on why we’re all here anyway. (Obsidian doesn’t judge.)

Tiny Annoyances That Drove Me Nuts

Notion

• That white interface burns my eyes at night. Dark mode helps, but still.
• Requires constant internet. Not ideal for those of us who write during power cuts.
• Sometimes feels like I’m performing productivity rather than doing it.

Obsidian

• Can look super intimidating at first. I almost gave up.
• Doesn’t come pre-organized. You have to build your own structure, which can be overwhelming.
• Mobile version is... meh. Gets the job done, but not fun to use.

So... Which One Do I Use in 2025?

Both.

Yeah, I know. Not a sexy answer.

• Obsidian is my private brain. All my thoughts, unfiltered. Book notes, journaling, messy outlines for future blogs—it's all in there.
• Notion is my public planner. If I need to share something with clients or friends, it goes into Notion. It’s prettier. More shareable.

They’re like two sides of my mind—the chaotic internal, and the curated external.

Final Thoughts

Look, at the end of the day, use what feels right. Some people thrive with visual blocks and clean templates—Notion is your jam. Others need raw, messy freedom—Obsidian is your playground.

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to find “the best” app. Find the one that makes you want to write. That makes your brain sigh with relief instead of panic.

For me, that’s Obsidian.

But hey, who knows? In six months, I might be back to sticky notes again. That’s the thing about workflows—they change as we change.

So yeah. Try both. Mix and match. Break the rules. Your notes, your vibe.