Notes, tasks, passwords, journal, files, calendar, contacts and bookmarks, with mood and medication tracking. Encrypted on your device. Open source, no ads, no trackers. Free forever; Pro is a one-time purchase.
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Which is more popular?
Based on our record, Obsidian
seems to be a lot more popular than HackDesign.
While we know about 1533 links to Obsidian,
we've tracked only 5 mentions of HackDesign.
social mentions
1,533 vs 5
Note Taking popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 38
Base details
Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.
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.
Free Access HackDesign provides free access to a wide range of design lessons and resources, making it accessible to anyone interested in learning design without financial barriers.
Curated Content The platform offers content curated by professional designers, ensuring users receive high-quality and relevant educational materials.
Diverse Topics HackDesign covers a broad spectrum of design topics, from basic principles to advanced techniques, catering to various skill levels and interests.
Self-Paced Learning Users can learn at their own pace, allowing them to balance their studies with other commitments and review materials as needed.
Community Support HackDesign fosters a community of learners and professionals who can share insights, collaborate, and support each other in their design journey.
Possible disadvantages
Lack of Interactivity The platform mainly consists of text-based lessons and links, which may not offer the interactive learning experiences some users prefer.
Variable Depth While offering a wide range of topics, the depth of coverage can vary, potentially leaving advanced learners seeking more in-depth material.
No Formal Certification HackDesign does not provide formal certifications or accreditations, which might be important for users looking to add credentials to their resumes.
Dependent on External Resources Much of the content is sourced from external links, which can lead to inconsistencies in quality or availability if the linked resources change or are removed.
Limited Multimedia Content There is limited use of multimedia such as videos or interactive simulations, which might reduce engagement for users who prefer visual or dynamic content.
Analysis
An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.
ObsidianHackDesign
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.
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...
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...
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...
Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.
Obsidian1533 mentionsHackDesign5 mentions
Build your plugins
After publishing my first plugin which really helped me dive into Obsidian, I realized that the tool I'm using for note taking is missing a very simple, but handy feature - templates for base-based notes.
- Source: dev.to
/
about 6 hours ago
The reasons live somewhere else: in practice notes in an Obsidian vault, one note per convention, with the repos it has held in. A note starts as an idea, moves to trialing, and only becomes enforced once I've applied it again in a few...
- Source: dev.to
/
4 days ago
I recall the HackDesign website/course being great a few years ago! Not sure about now, but used to be free...! https://hackdesign.org/.
- Source: Hacker News
/
almost 3 years ago
Biamp Tesira Canvas Control Surface examples
For short-form lessons, applied knowledge, and tooling intros https://hackdesign.org also has a decent set of resources.
Source:
over 3 years ago
What specifically do you want to get better at? Visual design or interaction design? Try these: https://hackdesign.org/ https://www.interaction-design.org/courses/ui-design-patterns-for-successful-software...
- Source: Hacker News
/
over 3 years ago
Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Their aim is to inform about the latest trends and techniques in Web development.
Compare Smashingmagazine to Obsidian or HackDesign:
A List Apart is a fantastic blog that recently released version 5.0 which brought a great new design. A List Apart explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.
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.
Notion
Logseq
Joplin
Evernote
Roam Research
Bear
Typora
Smashingmagazine
A List Apart
CSS-Tricks
Design Pitfalls
AIUX
Little Big Details
Awwwards
