Capacities vs Obsidian: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Capacities and Obsidian side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Capacities
Organize information like your mind works
Best for you if:
- • You want object-based notes
Obsidian
Private and flexible note-taking
Best for you if:
- • You want a free tier before you commit
| At a Glance | Capacities | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $9.99/mo flat, billed monthly Capacities Pro plan | Free plan, paid from $4/user/mo, billed monthly Sync plan |
Category | Note-Taking Productivity | Productivity Note-Taking |
Rating | 4.3/5 App Store 4.3 114 reviews | 4.5/5 G2 4.5 12 reviews |
Free plan | No | Yes |
Watch out for | n/a | Sync ($4-5/month) is almost mandatory for multi-device users. While you can use free alternatives (iCloud, Google Drive, Git), they introduce sync conflicts that Obsidian Sync solves with end-to-end encryption and proper conflict resolution. Most serious users end up paying for Sync |
Choose Capacities or Obsidian?
Choose Capacities if
- You want object-based notes
- You want AI features
- You work in note-taking, not productivity
Choose Obsidian if
- You want a free tier before you commit
- You want local-first privacy
- You want extensible plugins
- You work in productivity, not note-taking
In-Depth Analysis
Capacities
Organize information like your mind works
Capacities offers a generous Free tier with unlimited notes, making it highly accessible.
Strengths
- Pro: Object-based notes
- Pro: AI features
- Pro: Beautiful UI
Weaknesses
- Con: Newer platform
Key features
Obsidian
Private and flexible note-taking
Obsidian core app is genuinely free with no feature gating, every note-taking and knowledge management feature works without paying.
Watch out
Sync ($4-5/month) is almost mandatory for multi-device users. While you can use free alternatives (iCloud, Google Drive, Git), they introduce sync conflicts that Obsidian Sync solves with end-to-end encryption and proper conflict resolution. Most serious users end up paying for Sync
Strengths
- Pro: Local-first privacy
- Pro: Extensible plugins
- Pro: Graph view
Weaknesses
- Con: Sync costs extra
- Con: Steep learning curve
Key features
Plans and prices: Capacities vs Obsidian
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Capacities |
| capacities.io/pricing read Nov 2, 2026 |
| Obsidian |
| obsidian.md/pricing read Oct 26, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Capacities pricing and Obsidian pricing.
Key Takeaways
Capacities
- Choose if you want organize information like your mind works
Obsidian
- Choose if you want private and flexible note-taking
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- User ratings rest on too few reviews to rank (4.3/5 from 114 reviews for Capacities, 4.5/5 from 12 reviews for Obsidian; we compare ratings only above 20 reviews on both sides).
- Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Capacities $9.99/mo flat, billed monthly; Obsidian $4/user/mo, billed monthly.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
What Users Say
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Capacities and Obsidian compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. User ratings rest on too few reviews to rank (4.3/5 from 114 reviews for Capacities, 4.5/5 from 12 reviews for Obsidian; we compare ratings only above 20 reviews on both sides). Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Capacities $9.99/mo flat, billed monthly; Obsidian $4/user/mo, billed monthly. Both have a free plan.
What are Capacities and Obsidian used for?
Capacities: Organize information like your mind works. Obsidian: Private and flexible note-taking.
What does Capacities cost vs Obsidian?
Capacities's cheapest paid plan is Capacities Pro at $9.99/mo flat, billed monthly. Obsidian's cheapest paid plan is Sync at $4/user/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Nov 2, 2026.
What's the main difference between Capacities and Obsidian?
Capacities's main strength: object-based notes. Obsidian's main strength: local-first privacy.