Obsidian
A local-first knowledge base built on plain Markdown files you own.
Obsidian is a note-taking app over a folder of Markdown files on your own machine. That storage decision is the whole argument: your notes are readable without Obsidian, greppable by other tools, and not subject to a service shutting down or changing terms. Backlinks and the graph view make the cross-referencing worthwhile at scale, and the plugin ecosystem covers most workflow gaps. It pairs naturally with local models — a vault of plain files is exactly the input a local AI pipeline wants.
Best for
- A long-lived personal knowledge base
- Research notes with dense cross-linking
- Local-first workflows and AI plugins
Key features
- Plain Markdown files in a folder on your disk
- Backlinks and graph view over the whole vault
- Large plugin ecosystem, including local AI integrations
Why it matters
Storing notes as plain files on your own disk is what makes a knowledge base outlive the app that reads it.
