synoia or Obsidian?
Local-first markdown notes, built for one person.
The short answer
Pick Obsidian for the best personal vault there is, a huge plugin library and mobile apps, if you never need live editing or different rights for different people. Pick synoia for the same plain-markdown files with a whole team in them, folders you can restrict, and your own AI working inside each person's access.
| Feature | synoia | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Notes are plain markdown files on your computer | YesA vault is a folder of .md files on each person's computer. Obsidian opens it. | YesA vault is a folder of .md files. |
| Edit together, live | YesEdits merge as you type, and you can see who else is in a note. | NoCollaborative editing is on Obsidian's roadmap, not shipped. |
| Restrict a folder or page to named people | YesShare a vault, a folder or a note. Restrict a folder to named people or teams. | NoA shared vault gives every member the same rights to all of it. |
| Work with people from other organisations | YesInvite guests by name to a vault, a folder or a note. | PartlyInvite up to 20 people to a shared vault through Obsidian Sync. |
| Your own AI reads and writes, within your access | YesClaude, ChatGPT or any MCP client reads and writes within the person's access. Every write is logged. | PartlyNo official connector. Community plugins and the official command-line tool work on your own computer. |
| Sign-in | Google or Microsoft only. No passwords. | An Obsidian account for Sync. Workplace controls are in development. |
| Where it runs | One service on AWS in London, behind Cloudflare. Notes also live on your computers. | Obsidian Sync is end-to-end encrypted. We found no self-hosting and no choice of region. |
| Plugins | NoNo plugin system. | YesA large community plugin library. |
| Mobile app | NoDesktop first. macOS leads. | YesMobile apps. |
| Price, as found | Free for pilot members. Priced after the pilot. | Free, including for work. Sync from $4 a month billed annually. Optional commercial licence, $50 per user a year. |
Yes, No and Partly describe Obsidian as we found it in September 2026, from Obsidian's help pages, roadmap, changelog and pricing. Products change; check with Obsidian before you rely on a line here. For synoia, each line describes the product as built today. Nothing is released yet.
Where Obsidian is the better choice
The plugin library, and everything it unlocks. Canvas, Bases, daily notes and mobile capture. If you work alone, or your team is happy with the same rights for everyone and no live editing, Obsidian is hard to beat and costs nothing.
Obsidian Sync is also end-to-end encrypted. synoia isn't, because the service has to read content to answer your AI.
Where synoia fits
Live editing, with presence. Folders restricted to the people who need them. Organisations, teams and guests. Your own AI reaching the vault from anywhere, through a connector bound to your access, with every write logged. A service in London run by people you can name.
There's no plugin system, which some security reviewers will count in synoia's favour.
Switching
Can you switch?
Both ways, at the file level. A synoia vault is plain markdown, and if you leave, Obsidian opens the folder. Links, tags, properties, callouts, tables and diagrams carry over. Plugin-specific syntax, such as Dataview queries, won't run in synoia.
Bringing an existing Obsidian vault into synoia is something we'll test with pilot members.
Questions
Does synoia replace Obsidian for me personally?
Probably not, and it doesn't need to. Keep Obsidian for a personal vault if you like it. synoia is for knowledge a team shares, and for the people and AI who need governed access to it.
Will my Obsidian plugins work?
No. synoia has no plugin system. Links, tags, properties and search are built in.
Why not use Obsidian Sync with a shared vault?
It works well for small groups who can all have the same rights. Every member sees the whole vault, the limit is 20 people, and there's no live editing. There's also no official way for your AI to reach the vault when you're away from your desk.
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See it with your own team.
Pilot members bring a real team and their own AI.