Obsidian AI, Joute's review

The essentials

• Local-first Markdown notes app with link graph
• From $5/month (Sync) or free locally
• AI plugins: Copilot (chat with your notes), Smart Connections (semantic search)
• Suited for knowledge workers and engineers who want a PKM under their total control

What is Obsidian AI?

Obsidian is a local-first Markdown notes software. Your notes live on your hard drive, not in a third-party cloud. AI features arrive via community plugins, including Obsidian Copilot (GPT chat with your notes in context) and Smart Connections (semantic search in your vault). The optional cloud sync ($5/month) lets you share your vault across devices.

Strengths

Total data control

Your notes are Markdown files on your disk. No lock-in, no service that can shut down. You can open them in any text editor.

Powerful link graph

Obsidian visualizes connections between your notes. For serious PKM, this view is unique and very useful.

Copilot plugin for local RAG

You can chat with your own notes via the Copilot plugin. It's personal RAG on your vault. Unique and very useful feature for retrieving information.

Limits

Significant learning curve

Obsidian is powerful but requires careful configuration. Without a method (Zettelkasten, PARA), you easily create a chaos of notes.

AI via plugins, not native

AI in Obsidian is less integrated than in Notion AI or Logseq with plugins. Plugin configuration requires an API key and some technical knowledge.

Pricing

Free locally. $5/month for Sync. AI plugins free but require an LLM API key.

Alternatives

For a PKM with native AI: Notion AI at $10/month. For another local-first option: Logseq free. For cloud PKM with AI: Mem.

Verdict

Obsidian is the choice for those who take their PKM very seriously and don't want to depend on a cloud service. AI via plugins is less comfortable than a native solution but works well. Not the most accessible but the most powerful.

FAQ

Does the Obsidian Copilot plugin require an OpenAI key?

Yes, you provide your own API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama locally). Usage costs based on tokens.

Does Obsidian work on mobile?

Yes, official iOS and Android apps exist.

Can you publish Obsidian notes online?

Via Obsidian Publish ($8/month) or community solutions like Quartz (free, open source).

What PKM method to recommend with Obsidian?

PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives) by Tiago Forte is the most popular. Zettelkasten for researchers and writers.

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