Octonote AI vs Obsidian
Obsidian's markdown, with a real canvas and free publishing.
Obsidian keeps markdown files on your own disk and grows with plugins. Octonote AI runs on the web and phone, puts a drawing canvas next to your notes, and publishes any page for free.
Side by side
| Octonote AI | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| LaTeX math | ||
| Mermaid diagrams | ||
| Canvas | Infinite drawing canvas (tldraw) with auto-shape | Canvas core plugin: arrange notes and cards |
| Freehand drawing built in | Via community plugins | |
| Where your notes live | In the cloud; every note keeps a Markdown copy | Markdown files on your device |
| Works offline | ||
| Plugin ecosystem | ||
| Claude Code / Codex can write into it | octonote CLI, from any folder or the cloud | Agents edit the vault's files directly |
| Publish to the web | Included, with upvotes and view analytics | Obsidian Publish, $8/site/month yearly ($10 monthly) |
| Sync across devices | Included | Obsidian Sync, $4/user/month yearly ($5 monthly) |
| Price | Free plan; Pro $10/month per workspace, unlimited | App free, including for work |
Obsidian details checked October 2026 from Obsidian pricing. Prices are monthly unless noted.
What's different in Octonote AI
Draw next to your notes
Every project pairs a note with an infinite canvas. Sketch rough, let auto-shape clean it up, and drag the figure into the note — it stays in sync.
Publishing is included
Publish a note, canvas, project or whole notebook as a clean page with a heading minimap, upvotes and private view counts, at no extra cost.
Same notes on web and phone
Nothing to sync or configure: open octonote.ai on any computer or phone and everything is there.
Choose Octonote AI if…
- You draw diagrams as often as you write.
- You want to publish pages without paying for a separate add-on.
- You work across computers and phone without setting up sync.
Choose Obsidian if…
- You want plain files on your own disk and full offline use.
- You rely on community plugins and deep customisation.
- You build a personal knowledge graph with backlinks.
Questions
Can I bring my Obsidian notes to Octonote AI?
Yes. Obsidian notes are markdown, so paste one into a note or import it with octonote note create "Title" --file note.md. Math ($…$, $$…$$) and Mermaid blocks convert automatically.
Does Obsidian have a canvas?
Yes — the Canvas core plugin lays out notes and cards on a board. Freehand drawing comes from community plugins. Octonote AI's canvas is a full drawing board built in.
Is Octonote AI local-first like Obsidian?
No. Octonote AI is a cloud app, so your notes are on the web and your phone without setting up sync. Every note keeps a Markdown copy, so your writing is never locked in.
See real pages made with Octonote AI in the examples, or compare with Notion, Eraser, Excalidraw, Miro.
Try it next to Obsidian.
Free to start. No credit card, no password.