Fortunately, open source options for proprietary cloud services are emerging. For example, Obsidian is an alternative to Notion, the most popular collaborative note service of the moment.
They already had spoken in your Notion moment when I discussed Microsoft Loop compatibility on Linux. Loop is also a cloud service, but Obsidian can be installed locally.
Important: This article DO NOT includes referral links
Is Obsidian an alternative to open source Notion?
The truth is that we cannot say that it is. There is no indication of where to download the source code or what license it has, although many of the plugins are.. But, if it is not a topic that keeps you up at night, it is an application that you should not miss. You can use it on your computer without having to pay anything or register, although if you are looking for a commercial license you will have to pay $50 annually. If you want synchronization between devices you will have to pay 8 dollars per month and to publish on the web, 8. You can try early versions and support the community for 25.
Let's start by saying that Obsidian is a notes application based on the Markdown language. With Markdown we can format the text only by prefixing certain characters to the words. If it were just for that reason, it would be one of the dozens of applications that do the same thing. However, things get interesting.
It is possible to establish connections between notes using links (Wikipedia style) and view them graphically as if it were a mental map. The program also allows us to display and organize notes on a board.
New panels can also be added (Top and bottom or side by side) Searching and replacing notes can be done graphically. We can add tags to notes, combine two or more files, and rename notes. The command panel not only tells us what we can do (by clicking on each item) and its keyboard shortcuts.
Other characteristics
- Automatic creation of tables of contents: A very common feature in word processors that shows us the different parts of a note.
- Automatic modification of links when a document is renamed.
- Link structure is maintained when opening the notes in another Markdown editor.
- Easy command entry using the / key and the mouse.
- Property customization of the notes.
- View tag statistics and access the notes that have them.
- Determine the location of the attached files.
- Wide selection of accessories.
Keyboard shortcuts
Open command palette CTRL + P
Create a new note CTRL + N
Delete a paragraph CTRL+D
Open chart view CTRL + G
Insert Markdown link CTRL + K
Save a file CTRL + S
Go to next tab CTRL + TAB or CTRL + Cursor down
Go to first tab CTRL + 1
Go to last tab CTRL 1
Go to last tab CTRL 9
Go to the previous tab CTRL + SHIFT + TAB or CTRL + Cursor up.
New Tab CTRL + T
Navigate forward CTRL + ALT + Cursor right.
Navigate back CTRL + ALT + Cursor left
Open settings CTRL +
Close current tab CTRL + W
Close the window CTRL + SHIFT + W
Open new note CTRL + N
Create note on the right CTRL + SHIFT + N
Search all files CTRL + SHIFT + F
Open quick selector CTRL + O
Open graphic view CTRL + G
Open command palette CTRL + P
installation
Obsidian is available in app imageDeb
Snap format sudo snap install obsidian --classic
Flatpak format flatpack install flathub md.obsidian.Obsidian
There are many note applications for Linux, KDE's Basket and CherryTree for GNOME are some of the most popular. Both do not have as many features as Obsidian but their learning curve is also shorter.
Is Obsidian worth it? It depends on the use you give it, if you are looking for a tool without too many accessories to handle a lot of information in a structured way, it is an option to consider.
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I still prefer Joplin.