Exist VS Obsidian

Compare Exist VS Obsidian and see what are their differences

Rating: 0 reviews

Rating: 5.0 · 2 reviews

Notivo

Notivo is a private, per-person notebook for managers. Capture feedback, commitments, and 1:1 context as it happens — from web, iOS, WhatsApp, email, ChatGPT, or Claude — then get it back later, organized by person. sponsored

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Obsidian seems to be a lot more popular than Exist. While we know about 1525 links to Obsidian, we've tracked only 43 mentions of Exist.

social mentions: 43 vs 1,525
Productivity popularity: 100% vs 0%
alternatives listed: 231 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

	Exist	Obsidian
Website	exist.io	obsidian.md
Pricing	—	Official pricing
Company	—	Startup from the United States
Listed in	Productivity Habit Building Health And Fitness Journal +1	Knowledge Management Knowledge Base Markdown Editor Markdown Viewer Personal Notes Note Taking Notes Writing Tools Personal Productivity +6

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Exist 5 features

Obsidian 6 features

Comprehensive Data Integration
Exist integrates data from various services such as fitness trackers, social media, sleep monitors, and more, allowing for a wide range of data collection and analysis.
Personal Insights
It provides personalized insights and correlations based on the data collected, helping users to better understand their habits and improve their lifestyle.
Custom Tracking
Users can create custom tags to track specific activities or behaviors that are important to them, offering a high degree of personalization.
API Access
Exist offers an API, enabling users to create custom integrations and extend the platform's functionality.
Mobile App Availability
Exist is available as a mobile app, making it easy for users to input and check their data on the go.

Possible disadvantages

Subscription Cost
Exist requires a paid subscription after the initial trial period, which may be a barrier for some users.
Privacy Concerns
Collecting and integrating a wide range of personal data can raise privacy concerns, especially if the service is ever compromised.
Data Overload
The sheer amount of data available can be overwhelming for some users, making it challenging to identify the most relevant insights.
Learning Curve
New users may face a learning curve as they try to navigate the platform and make the best use of its features.
Limited Free Features
The free version offers limited functionality, which may not be sufficient for users looking to fully explore the platform before committing to a subscription.

Local-first
Obsidian stores your notes locally on your device, giving you full control over your data and enhancing privacy.
Markdown Support
Obsidian uses Markdown, making it easy to format text and compatible with many other text editors and tools.
Bidirectional Linking
You can create bidirectional links between notes, which helps in building a knowledge graph and navigating related information more easily.
Customizability
Obsidian is highly customizable with community plugins, themes, and various settings to fit different workflows.
Graph View
Provides a visual graph view of your notes and their connections, aiding in understanding relationships and discovering insights.
Offline Access
Since the notes are stored locally, you can access and edit them without an internet connection.

Possible disadvantages

Learning Curve
Obsidian can be complex and overwhelming for beginners due to its extensive features and customizable nature.
Sync Limitations
While local-first is great for privacy, it requires additional steps or third-party solutions for syncing across devices.
No True Real-time Collaboration
Obsidian lacks native real-time collaboration features, making it less suitable for collaborative work compared to cloud-based solutions.
Limited Mobile Features
The mobile version of Obsidian, while functional, is not as robust as the desktop application, potentially hindering productivity on the go.
Dependence on Plugins
Many advanced features require the use of third-party plugins, which could lead to compatibility issues and reliance on community support.
Performance on Large Vaults
Performance might degrade with a very large number of notes or complex graphs, impacting usability.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Exist

Obsidian

No analysis of Exist yet.

Overall verdict

Overall, Obsidian.md is an excellent tool for users looking for a versatile and powerful note-taking application. Its unique features such as backlinking, markdown support, and robust customization options make it a favorite among knowledge management enthusiasts.

Why this product is good

Obsidian.md is considered good by many users because it is a powerful knowledge management and note-taking application that leverages Markdown for document formatting. It allows for bi-directional linking between notes, which helps in creating a network of interconnected ideas, often described as a 'second brain.' Its ability to support plugins, themes, and robust graph visualization also adds to its appeal. Additionally, it stores notes locally, ensuring privacy and data ownership, while being cross-platform compatible across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Recommended for

Knowledge workers who need a powerful tool to organize and connect their thoughts.
Students who are looking to create a structured and visually interconnected note system.
Writers and researchers who benefit from linking related ideas and maintaining detailed notes.
Tech-savvy users or developers who appreciate the local storage and open ecosystem for plugins and customization.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Exist 3 videos + Add

Obsidian 1 video + Add

Exist - Board Game Review

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100

Exist

Obsidian

100% 100%

0% 0%

100% 100%

0% 0%

100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Exist and Obsidian. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Exist no reviews yet

Obsidian 5.0 · 2 reviews

We have no reviews of Exist yet. Be the first one to post

The 6 best note-taking apps in 2024
zapier.com · Nov 2023

One thing to note: Notion bills itself as an Evernote competitor for personal users. It can be—but it's too much for most people, and its offline functionality isn't the best. If you love the idea of Notion, go right...
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
www.theverge.com · Nov 2023

This app is the kind of thing that, if you’re into it, will have you exploring its various ins, outs, and add-ons for days and weeks on end. Obsidian uses the Markdown format for its notes (which means they can be...
The 5 Best Open Source Miro Alternatives in 2024
affine.pro · Aug 2023

However, it's important to note that Obsidian's whiteboard functionality is not as robust as dedicated collaboration tools. While it lacks real-time basic collaboration features, Obsidian compensates with its vibrant...

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Exist 43 mentions

Obsidian 1525 mentions

Apple courier may have stolen 2 MacBooks, () Apple is not going to help
As someone who has been on and off the Degoogle train (I ran full LineageOS without Google Play at one point) and is now pretty deep in iOS territory, I'd say the main thing for me has been email. I've used https://www.fastmail.com for a... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
Ask HN: Tell us about your project that's not done yet but you want feedback on
You may want to look into https://exist.io/. It's a very indie developer duo out of Australia (IIRC). And also IIRC they were looking for a buyer on Twitter some time ago. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
Ask HN: Anyone using or working on a life dashboard?
I have used this previously when tracking health metrics and I couldn't much else that had integrations. https://exist.io/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago

Hermes Agent Use Cases: 5 Free Things You Can Set Up Today (2026)
The setup that makes the output noticeably sharper is a memory layer. Connecting a plain-text notes app like Obsidian (free for personal use) gives the agent durable context: what your project is about, who it is for, and what you have... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
I Built SelfContext So I Could Stop Re-explaining Myself to AI
The vault is compatible with Obsidian because the files are just Markdown, YAML frontmatter, and standard relative links. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
Which Markdown editor to choose
Inline preview, usually called WYSIWYG. Obsidian's Live Preview mode hides the syntax except where the cursor is. Obsidian is a far better personal knowledge base than anything else on this page, with backlinks, a graph and years of... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago

Alternatives to Exist and Obsidian

When comparing Exist and Obsidian, you can also consider the following products.

Gyroscope
Gyroscope is a personalized dashboard for tracking your life.

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Notion
All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.

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Daylio
Daylio enables you to keep a private diary without having to type a single line.

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Logseq
Logseq is a local-first, non-linear, outliner notebook for organizing and sharing your personal knowledge base.

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Bearable App
User-friendly health tracking

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Joplin
Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. The notes are searchable, tagged and modified either from the applications directly or from your own text editor.

Compare Joplin to Exist or Obsidian:

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