Notion VS Obsidian - Why I Use BOTH

[@FromSergio]

To try everything Brilliant has to offer-free-for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/FromSergio/. The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant’s annual premium subscription.

[@LiguoKong]

Brilliant is brilliant

[@yurilitvinov6625]

"Notion is a place where I work, Obsidian is a place where I think". Thank you very much!

[@FromSergio]

:)

[@McLarenMercedes17]

His employer should start worrying

[@tyteachestech]

Right bc who wants to think while working, right? ...🥴

[@nemiw4429]

​​​@@McLarenMercedes17 what if he is his own boss? Think about that & imagine, then take on these questions: [ ] thought about & imagined [ ] did not think about it, nor have I used my imagination [ ] I identify as strong smelling catpoo

[@timexyemerald6290]

Obsidian is an Absolut Monster of an App when you're Making Fantasy World and all its cities, different races, languages, culture, Race and cultural evolution through time etc. That Graph feature is GODSENT and best of all is that it is Offline and all your documents are stored on your Pc. I don't really know what features Notion has but I don't think its better than Obsidian in terms of Making a Mind Map of a fictional world

[@FromSergio]

Oh absolutley! Fully agreed!

[@Skellybr0]

I am building a database for my upcoming DnD campaign and I'm having trouble deciding between OneNote, Obsidian, and Notion. I'm considering using both Obsidian and Notion. Obsidian to keep my data organized. Notion for flashy stuff and player-view stuff.

[@misterzicold]

Totally agree. I moved my whole campaign with hundreds on notes from OneNote. Now I do know where are my pdfs and my pictures are saved and in what quality. OneNote is kinda big blob of notes, Obsidian makes you write better and more organized notes.

[@DinoDays703]

This is exactly what I use it for. I've been looking into possible alternatives before buying sync but honestly I can't see myself using any other program. Owning my own files for a work I plan to publish one day is also a big deal.

[@HeyQuinton]

happy you talked about this, Sergio. Too many people fall into the "either-or" rather than "and" category. They both are amazing tools and can be leveraged for varying tasks. I actually enjoy the quick inputs of Notion first (not to mention the shared workspace for team members) and then I summarize and create more hardened notes in Obsidian for long-term reference.

[@FromSergio]

Great use case! Thanks for sharing Quinton!

[@wilsonlamlyt7138]

@@FromSergio Curious to ask, if it was for a personal project management use? When would you consider to use notion or obsidian, and when do you need databases in notion? Just curious to ask, I sometimes just find obsidian not as well as a project manager, maybe its just that I still haven't set it up. I sometimes feel that notion is more visual and might be a better project management tool but obsidian canvas is great in this usecase too! Look forward to see your usecase and reasons too!

[@FromSergio]

@@wilsonlamlyt7138 Just as I went over in teh video - project management either alone or collaborating = notion 9 times out of 10. If the project is all text based and benefits from a canvas then that's the 1 out of 10 that I'll do it on obsidian. Everything else I prefer Obsidian :)

[@rootcao1360]

@@FromSergio With Obsidian, is there a way to assign tasks to other people like Notion's person type?

[@samuelitooooo]

For me, part of it is digital clutter. I want to minimize the quantity of apps I'm using because I don't like having to remember that I have an account, a password, settings, etc. for each, + how to use them and keeping up with features, as well as maybe the privacy policy/terms of use. And separate backups for each, depending on the apps. I think the term for that is cognitive load? Notion already allowed me to consolidate Google Keep, Google Docs, Apple Notes from a decade ago, and random text files. If it's all in one place, then that's less to remember; for me, multiple databases are better than multiple web pages for each of those services (also where content cannot be linked with each other) - I think this is called "switching contexts". I've left some spreadsheets which don't transfer well into Notion, which speaks to your and Sergio's point, but my point is, life is easier with less scatter and clutter, and that might be why all-in-one tools are so appealing. Even remembering that I have three spreadsheets in Google Drive, with all my other notes in one place, is better than having an equal share of all my stuff across four or five apps [and storage media].

[@j.d.5709]

You make a great point about local vs server storing. Makes me a bit leery of using notion for notes now. Definitely considering using Obsidian for notes and Notion just for goals, tasks and projects.

[@FromSergio]

I'm glad! It's not something most people care about but I can't help it!

[@SowingSeedsForAll]

@@FromSergio dropbox vibes

[@8020Alive]

Hopefully you moved to Obsidian - the last Notion data breaches were quite alarming. Reddit shows some of the horror stories. Shame 😭

[@j.d.5709]

@8020Alive Funny. I just switched back to notion then but just recently switched to obsidian this time for good. Mainly for better note-taking usage.

[@8020Alive]

@@j.d.5709 excellent. Best wishes to you and your mind mapping journey.

[@belegestel_]

For about a month I've been searching for a good comparison between these two. I'm so happy I found this video, as it clearly shows pros and cons of both apps AND explains cases in which given app performs best

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! I'm glad :)

[@rogerwikstrom7794]

A really good walk-through of the both options. I use Obsidian for almost everything, but understand that i need a solution for collaborations.

[@mageprometheus]

Thanks Sergio. I'm retired so Obsidian is perfect. Git is an excellent version control system and I send encrypted backups to my Google drive. I'd encourage those who don't need a paid option to consider the insider route to support development. (If you can afford it.)

[@FromSergio]

Fully agreed, couldn't have said it any better!

[@justnaturalcake1]

For now, I’m using iCloud to sync files and I have no complaints. It’s automatically enabled on my Apple devices and on my Windows PC, I can install iCloud from the Microsoft Store. But honestly, I might make a server on a Raspberry Pi for more security

[@rvzgar]

You can save your notes on your iCloud files on Obsidian. So sync is literally free. I use Obsidian across devices for free with saving my notes in my iCloud.

[@IDMYM8]

At least you're honest about everything. Good job at explaining everything!

[@FromSergio]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@justnaturalcake1]

I’ve been a Notion user for a while now and honestly, it’s not great (yet). It can do basically anything: become a task manager, take notes, write goals, track habits. But it’s not good at any of these things. It’s not a great task manager or great at tracking habits. However, that honestly doesn’t bother me too much. The one thing that makes me want to abandon Notion is their mobile app. It’s not a native mobile app but rather a web version rewrapped to make it work on mobile. If they revamp their mobile app, I might switch. But for now, I’ve been using Obsidian for a week and I absolutely love it. It’s pretty difficult to learn but it definitely pays off. The one thing I’m missing in Obsidian is a good flashcards plugin. I found one named Spaced Repetition, but it only allows me to use a certain deck of flashcards once a day and there’s no way to change that

[@FromSergio]

Yeah I 100% get where you're coming from. I remember when Notion came out a few years ago and everyone was suddenly using it for every task under the sun. It *can* do everything, but that usually means it doesn't excel in many. Like you I also prefer a dedicated app for tasks, calendar, etc. The main gripe I have with Notion is the longevity and backup systems like I went over in the video. But for databases its awesome :)

[@justnaturalcake1]

@@FromSergio Databases are really great, I used Notion for databases 90% of the time. But with Obsidian I know I'll have my notes and files forever, but if Notion randomly decides to shut down we will lose everything we wrote down. Or if Notion servers are down and we need our notes but we just can't access them

[@jas5962]

Exactly. Notion app is very disgusting. Obsidian app is soooo much better. I am considering switch to obsidian just because of the app issue.

[@lilyofthe4lley]

Love Obsidian, using Syncthing to keep my vaults synchronized between devices and organize file versioning for free and it works great

[@serispeaks]

I use both too!

[@FlamencoDeniz]

I am 25 seconds into the video and you already nailed the "fail" examples on what not to use notion and obsidian for

[@john.james-rambo]

I love your content man. Very comprehensive and right on point. I am a heavy user in Obsidian and don't find Notion very appealing or friendly enough for long term use for me. I am loving Obsidian man and that is specially because of you and Filipe Donadio another straight forward shooter like you and the only 02 I get obsidian content from. Thank you again Sergio. Take care buddy.

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! Much appreciated! Take care :)

[@JavArButt]

Enjoyed the description of your experience with both apps

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! I'm glad! :)

[@tamasbalint1597]

Great video. Great comparison. Thank you.

[@ENVELOPEYOURDESIRE]

Thanks for this informative review. I use Obsidian for personal use, but was looking at Notion for work use and your explanation really helped me understand the differences.

[@matiasbertotti]

Hi! Great video, i was about to start usign Notion for a new self-taught project that i had in mind, but seeing that obsidian its way better for your knowledge management i think ill start using it instead of notion and just let notion by the side for more time management, to-dos, daily life and work! Thank you for the explanation and the difference, any recommendations you can give me for using obsidian when learning? Like to manage better the information etc

[@BrazenNL]

That local graph view was new to me. Couldn't find it in the menu, had to use the command palette. It's a fantastic find for me, thank you.

[@FromSergio]

I'm glad! :)

[@LaurenMilla]

I've been using Notion as a bullet journal with minor planning and task management. Mostly for a tracker and various organization (i like the aesthetic dashboards i make to help me visualize certain data). But now that I'm building advanced use cases in notion i was wondering if it was worth switching to obsidian which i heard was more complicated. I think in terms of relational databases (it's my day job) so I'm not totally sure i like how loosey goosey obsidian is, but i kind of want to check it out, maybe I'll be a "both" person

[@greenlizard812]

Amazing video, lots of features of both and helped me understand both case scenarios! Now I want to learn Obsidian again, tried last year but gave up.

[@FromSergio]

Glad you liked it! I have a long series on it :)

[@AI-Alongside]

Great video, so many strong points and good takeaways. I'm also using both and finding my best use cases for each one

[@mr.bouncealot9047]

Thanks for this fantastic comparison and review, not every day that all your questions get answered in one video.

[@FromSergio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@salman_babar]

With regards to local graph view, how do you decide which part of information goes to which note? Or how do you breakdown one big continuous flow of knowledge into smaller divisions?

[@shiftto]

very clear, thank you man!

[@FromSergio]

Glad it helped!

[@Chris.888]

Solid video Sergio. Only just discovering Obsidian and already, the potential use cases are exciting. Thanks for video, it was very helpful.

[@misterzicold]

Nice video! And markdown files are really good format to save snippets of code if you are a programmer.

[@paul_devos]

I'm a Data/AI Engineer. Which would you recommend for learning topics in tech?

[@pancake4691]

did you figure out the better option?

[@misters6451]

Thanks for this video! You said that you store files on your NAS but how dou you use it on a mobile device? As i understood you use mac so you use iPhone, but how do you view your notes on a iPhone?

[@CJ-je4hd]

This guy is great at explaining things!

[@FromSergio]

Thank you!

[@rene.rodriguez]

That was amazing. Liked and sub’d. Thanks for sharing!

[@FromSergio]

Awesome, thank you! Happy new year!

[@theawarehousestudio]

Fantastic video for someone looking into and deciding between these two apps. You nailed it. Thank you.

[@FromSergio]

Just saw this! Thanks so much! :)

[@roti1873]

Have you created a video or guide on exactly how you use both systems together? I think I see value in using Notion alongside Obsidian this way, as well.

[@paulussantosociwidjaja4781]

Sergio, thank you for bias - however, it helps rather than confusing. Well, at least - for me. Cheers!

[@JasonChannelOne]

Thanks

[@pixie_gameplays]

Thank you for the video! I recently discovered Obsidian and haven't quite learned how it works yet, but I was wondering if it was worth switching from Notion to it. I liked your approach of using Obsidian for personal projects and Notion for collaboration with others. I will be testing this approach. ^^

[@msonnayn]

best comparison video I've watched, thanks.

[@noidph]

Thank you, Sergio! This was very helpful. Greetings from the Philippines! :)

[@FromSergio]

Glad you liked it! Have a great one :)

[@siddharthbouddha]

i use VSCode daily, can i use VSCode for not taking (if i get some good extension for .md files) ?

[@RameshKumar-ng3nf]

Hello, For a computer science Student who is studying. How to maintain data when stored in two different systems -Notion and Obsidian ? . Will it not create duplicate data stored in multiple apps ?

[@sfybskot]

Thank you for this video. You are absolutely right, both of these tools are created for different things. But Notion too slow on my MacBook Pro 2017, so I’ll stay with Obsidian and look for another notion alternative

[@FromSergio]

Glad you liked it! Oh for sure in speed it's not even comparable!

[@tuvu8394]

notion's speed depends on your internet connection, not your hardware specs...

[@sebay4654]

For me i currently prefer Notion for most of what i use it for because im not just using it for notes but For Document organization (such as my game design document) Currently though i am working on learning Obsidian so that i can use it for the connection points of the story as opposed to the more purely hierarchical documentation of the GDD

[@sebay4654]

after the point about Ai and openness i have decided to try to switch to Obsidian even i i personally enjoy hierachiacal organizing

[@sebay4654]

also my main reason for picking notion at first was becuse of the auto sync but with the problems ive had with it taking over a miniute more then once switching to an at least semi ofline option seems better (i type faster on phone and am getting out of the habit of pulling out my phone when i want to type something in the hundreds of words size

[@imad_jj]

​@@sebay4654hierarchical organization is beautiful but not effective in the future as a knowledge management.

[@nerdyneighbor]

I really, really appreciate this video. Thanks, my guy!

[@FromSergio]

Thanks! I'm glad :)

[@420clanhaha]

Like 👍. Thanks for sharing knowledges and user exp. Now I have some better deeper understanding of my questions. Good luck ! Keep doing the best of you can !

[@FromSergio]

Glad it was useful :)

[@kanavgupta2816]

Great video

[@mondoo70]

Great video Sergio! What ChatGPT plugin do you recommend for Obsdian? Thanks!

[@FromSergio]

Text generator plug in, have a full video on it :)

[@كثب]

"Notion is a place where I work, Obsidian is a place where I think". حللت لي أزمة يا رجل! شكرُا لك..

[@amitrathore1544]

Man what i video 📈☝️😌taking every signal point in notes 🎵🎶fan here.

[@youtube_name_125.]

5:18 to skip sponsor

[@manuinjapan]

Awesome video dude! Have you tried Capacities by any chance?

[@FromSergio]

Thanks João! I haven't :)

[@michaeln1712]

Great Video as always. Is there a way I can access my vault and files that lives in a NAS; through an iphone? Is the Obsidian Mobile vault limited to just iCloud syncing ?

[@FromSergio]

That's an iOS limitation unfortunately.

[@imad_jj]

Nice content keep going bro

[@FromSergio]

Thanks for being here for me Imad I appreciate you :)

[@TheLastMimzie]

For that I have concepts, very different from obsidian but it looks beautiful. If probably choose it if I didn't already invest so much in Notion. At least I can always count on a new better app hitting the market eventually.

[@kerimtim]

I used both, when you realize that life is most about free and open-source and freedom, the choice becomes obvious

[@DanKamminga]

Maybe Tana is a good alternative? It supports both processes and more. ❤

[@FromSergio]

Not a fan personally!

[@Cenot4ph]

monthly site cost for Obsidian is way too high, they should split that in half to make it competitive with other site builders that offer way more flexibility and options for the same price point. Sync is in all honestly for most people pretty useless, there's so many ways you can setup your sync that it may only be useful for those less technically inclined

[@kennycampbell24]

Hey @fromsergio thank you for all your content, it’s super helpful. I’d like to hire you for some personal coaching sessions to get me started with Obsidian. Can you help?

[@FromSergio]

Hi Kenny, I don't offer consultations but thanks for asking!

[@j_kundi]

Can you tell me what Obsidian theme you use? Thanks

[@FromSergio]

Hey Jas! I answered in a previous comment of yours but in case you miss it - it's the minimal theme :)

[@plasticmonki]

on point

[@qtheilespy8533]

What u recommend for a student in highschool

[@eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedante]

obsidian 100% tip: keep it amateur and simple you dont need 999 plugins to learn

[@qtheilespy8533]

@@eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedante i use notion but if u say, i will try obsidian too :)

[@guitarhero69]

i wanna know if obsidian takes too much space in your laptop memory. because it just stores it in ur local memory

[@Pumukkl420]

You can also store it in your iCloud or in the cloud of obsidian. Second option costs around 10$|month. I use my iCloud fir it

[@asbeltrion]

6:20 Or Syncthing. A free and open source peer-to-peer file synchronization application available for Windows, macOS, Linux. and Android. No account needed. Just sync your Obsidian vault between your PC & phone, and you won't need anything else.

[@anotherelvis]

In Google docs you can press ctrl-k to link to a subsection within the same document. That works fairly well for me.

[@smileroshan]

I've been using obsidian for about a week. Thank you for introducing Notion. 😊

[@FromSergio]

Glad you liked it! :)

[@96Phenix]

Obsidian 👍

[@siddhantraut537]

What are your views on Microsoft loop, I m confused b/w should i continue with notion or use loop along with obsidian

[@FromSergio]

If you're happy with what you're using there's no need to keep switching around!

[@jaredkelnhofer]

Notion kind of locks down your stuff so it's less portable IMO

[@raysb3328]

you are a psychopath for having light mode on obsidian

[@Sub0x-x40]

the global graph view is unusable at larger vault sizes. all they need to do is make the scroll rate slower lol

[@FromSergio]

How big is your vault? I've never had an issue and have only seen issues on enormous vaults.

[@My-video123]

8 bucks for syncing notes from iPhone to MacBook? What???

[@mostafa.abohadid]

Notion needs tags, graphs, and (for me idk about others) Handwriting

[@СергійЦиганок-ц1и]

Як говорится: "не роби вибір там де це не потрібно"

[@joostvandam4225]

chaddocumenter 🔥

[@FromSergio]

:)

[@Bruh-cg2fk]

Obsidian solos

[@bingebinge3722]

Biggest difference between Notion and Obsidian is, Notion just works 😂

[@alessandrorossi2164]

Logseq>obsidian

[@zorindaniil]

Haha nice joke bro

[@bobbastian760]

Almost nobody needs a NAS bro, it's just stuff for stuff's sake. Simpler is better, 1 laptop + cloud backup. Done. Simplify your life 👍