Noteline vs Obsidian
Both apps keep your notes as plain .md files. The differences come down to what ships in the box — and how much you want to configure.
| Feature | Noteline | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Source of truth | Plain .md files in your folder | Plain .md files in a vault |
| Download size | ~40–60 MB (incl. offline export engines) | ~90–120 MB |
| Editor | CodeMirror 6 with Markdown preview (toggle) | CodeMirror 6 with inline Live Preview |
| Word / PDF export, offline | ✅ Pandoc + Typst bundled (no install) | ⚠ PDF built-in; Word needs a plugin + separate Pandoc install |
| AI paste → clean Markdown | ✅ Built-in normalizer (HTML → clean MD) | ⚠ Generic HTML → MD on paste; no AI-output cleanup |
| Plugin ecosystem | ✗ Not yet (planned) | ✅ 2,000+ community plugins |
| Sync | Your choice — iCloud / Dropbox / Git (plain files) | External (free) · Obsidian Sync from $4/mo (annual) |
| Pricing (app) | 30-day free trial · $4.99 once | Free (optional $50/yr supporter license) |
| Platforms | Mac · Win · Linux · Web (lite) · Mobile (in dev) | Mac · Win · Linux · iOS · Android |
| Backlinks / tags | ✅ | ✅ |
| Graph view | ✗ Not yet | ✅ |
TL;DR
- Choose Noteline if: you want a lightweight Markdown editor that just works out of the box — including Word/PDF export — and don't want to manage plugins.
- Choose Obsidian if: you want a deep, hackable knowledge base with graph view, canvas, and the largest plugin ecosystem.