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Craft vs Obsidian

Designed shared documents vs a vault of files you shape

Craft and Obsidian both hold notes, docs, and wikis, but they disagree about where those live and who they're for. Craft makes polished documents meant to be shared, with real-time collaboration, in its own cloud. Obsidian keeps plain Markdown files in a local vault that you extend with plugins.

The short version: if your notes are read by other people and should look designed, Craft fits. If your notes are for you, and files you can open with anything matter more than layouts, Obsidian fits. The table below is compiled from both apps' own pages, linked at the bottom.

Craft
Obsidian
Files
Plain markdown files
PartlyOptional local folder; turns off sharing
YesIn a vault folder
Works offline
YesOne-time setup on Windows, web, Android
Yes
Writing and organization
Editor
Block-based documents
Live Preview or source mode
Document design
Rich layouts, cards, and styling
Markdown formatting and themes
Links between notes
Yes
YesWiki-links and backlinks
Graph view
No
Yes
Plugins and themes
No
YesThousands of community plugins
Collaboration and sharing
Real-time co-editing
Yes
No
Comments
Yes
No
Share to the web
YesShare links
YesObsidian Publish, paid add-on
AI
Built-in AI
YesEvery plan, with usage quotas
PartlyVia community plugins
Platforms and sync
Desktop
macOS, Windows
macOS, Windows, Linux
iPhone and iPad
Yes
YesApp Store
Android
Yes
YesPlay Store
Web app
Yes
No
Sync
Craft's cloud
Obsidian Sync ($4/user/month), or any folder sync
Plans
Free
PartlyUp to 1,500 blocks
YesIncluding commercial use
Paid
Plus $10 / month or $96 / year
Sync and Publish subscriptions

The third option

If you want the files without the assembly — plain Markdown you own, working offline everywhere, with backlinks, a graph, and Views over your notes built in rather than installed — neither Craft nor Obsidian gives you that. Octarine does, on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with Git or folder sync at no extra cost, publishing with reader comments, and a one-time Pro price instead of subscriptions.

What Octarine doesn't give you: Craft's document design, real-time co-editing, web and Android apps, or Obsidian's plugin ecosystem. If any of those is the reason you're choosing, the table above says which app to pick. See the full tables at Octarine vs Craft and Octarine vs Obsidian.

Sources · Checked Nov 9, 2026

Compiled from both apps' own pricing pages, help centers, and platform lists — the same sources as our Octarine-vs-each comparisons, last verified November 4, 2026. Facts were re-checked against those sources when this page was compiled.

Product names and logos belong to their owners; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Something wrong or out of date, including if you work on Craft or Obsidian? Suggest a correction

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