Obsidian VS TouchCursor

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Obsidian seems to be a lot more popular than TouchCursor. While we know about 1525 links to Obsidian, we've tracked only 10 mentions of TouchCursor.

social mentions: 1,525 vs 10
Note Taking popularity: 99% vs 1%
alternatives listed: 240+ vs 10

Base details

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

	Obsidian	TouchCursor
Website	obsidian.md	martin-stone.github.io
Pricing	Official pricing	Open source
Company	Startup from the United States	—
Listed in	Knowledge Management Knowledge Base Markdown Editor Markdown Viewer Personal Notes Note Taking Notes Writing Tools Personal Productivity +6	Note Taking Automation Windows Tools Mac Tools +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Obsidian 6 features

TouchCursor 0 features

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.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

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

Obsidian

TouchCursor

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.

Overall verdict

TouchCursor is a solid, lightweight utility that lets you navigate and edit text without leaving the home row by turning keys like IJKL into arrow keys when a modifier (typically the spacebar) is held. It's free, open source, and highly configurable, making it a favorite among productivity-focused typists.

Why this product is good

Free and open source, with no cost or licensing hassles
Keeps your hands on the home row, reducing the need to reach for arrow keys or the mouse
Highly customizable key mappings and activation keys
Lightweight and runs quietly in the background with minimal resource usage
Improves typing efficiency and can help reduce hand strain over time

Recommended for

Touch typists who want to minimize hand movement
Programmers and writers who do a lot of text navigation and editing
Windows users looking for a free keyboard productivity tool
People with ergonomic concerns who want to avoid reaching for arrow keys
Power users who enjoy customizing their keyboard workflow

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Obsidian 1 video + Add

TouchCursor 1 video + Add

OBSIDIAN: Getting Started, Facts & Pricing

TouchCursor demo

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

Obsidian

TouchCursor

99% 99%

Note Taking

1% 1%

100% 100%

Knowledge Management

0% 0%

Mac Tools

100% 100%

Knowledge Base

0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using Obsidian and TouchCursor. 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.

Obsidian 5.0 · 2 reviews

TouchCursor no reviews yet

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...

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

Social recommendations and mentions

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

Obsidian 1525 mentions

TouchCursor 10 mentions

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 / 15 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

Problem with TouchCursor for PC
Has anyone gotten TouchCursor's (TouchCursor - Cursor keys for touch typists (martin-stone.github.io) function to disable using certain programs? It just doesn't work at all for me whether I use the crosshair thing or just manually enter... Source: over 3 years ago
Has anyone here used UCIEA or variants?
If you're on Windows, do have a look at TouchCursor and / or SpaceFN. They basically allow you to use the spacebar for anything you're doing with AltGr - so much more efficient. Source: over 3 years ago
German Qwerty Keyboard?
Use TouchCursor. It will greatly boost your general productivity and you can access special characters like Umlaute by using the spacebar as a modifier. Source: over 3 years ago

Alternatives to Obsidian and TouchCursor

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

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

Compare Notion to Obsidian or TouchCursor:

Notion vs Obsidian Notion vs TouchCursor
Contexts
Switch between application windows effortlessly — with Fast Search, a better Command-Tab, a Sidebar or even a quick gesture. Free trial available.

Compare Contexts to Obsidian or TouchCursor:

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

Compare Logseq to Obsidian or TouchCursor:

Logseq vs Obsidian Logseq vs TouchCursor
altdrag
AltDrag allows you to move and resize windows much easier.

Compare altdrag to Obsidian or TouchCursor:

altdrag vs Obsidian altdrag vs TouchCursor
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 Obsidian or TouchCursor:

Joplin vs Obsidian Joplin vs TouchCursor
Stick Shift
Stick Shift saves you time by removing repetitive changes to hand position when programming.

Compare Stick Shift to Obsidian or TouchCursor:

Stick Shift vs Obsidian Stick Shift vs TouchCursor

Compare Obsidian VS TouchCursor and see what are their differences