The two giants of personal knowledge management—Obsidian and Notion—serve different needs. If you’re trying to decide where to store your notes, research, and web content, this comparison will help you choose.

The Fundamental Difference

Obsidian stores everything as local Markdown files. You own your data completely.

Notion stores everything in the cloud using a proprietary block format. You get collaboration and databases.

This single difference drives almost every other distinction.

Markdown: Native vs. Supported

Obsidian

Obsidian is Markdown. Every note is a .md file on your computer:

Edit with any text editor
Sync via your preferred method (Git, Dropbox, iCloud)
Transfer to other apps instantly
Future-proof—Markdown has existed since 2004

When you save web content as Markdown, it drops directly into your vault and works immediately.

Notion

Notion supports Markdown but uses a proprietary block format internally:

Import Markdown, but it converts to blocks
Export Markdown, but with Notion-specific formatting
No direct file access
Locked into Notion’s ecosystem

Importing Markdown works, but you lose some fidelity. Exporting creates files with UUIDs and non-standard syntax.

Importing Web Content

To Obsidian

Save webpage as Markdown with Save
Move file to your vault folder
Done — it’s immediately available

Or use Obsidian’s built-in “Import” feature to drag and drop Markdown files.

To Notion

Save webpage as Markdown with Save
Open Notion
Import → Markdown from the sidebar
Adjust formatting if needed

Notion handles most Markdown well, but complex formatting may need tweaking.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Obsidian	Notion
Data Storage	Local files	Cloud
Offline Access	Full	Limited
Collaboration	Via sync services	Native
Databases	Via plugins	Native
Linking	`[[wikilinks]]`	Native links
Graph View	Built-in	Not available
Price	Free (sync $8/mo)	Free (teams $10/mo)
Markdown Native	Yes	Import/Export
Plugins	1000+ community	Limited

Who Should Use Obsidian

Choose Obsidian if you:

Value data ownership — your files, your control
Work offline frequently — planes, remote areas, focus time
Are a developer — comfortable with files and folders
Want customization — plugins for everything
Think in connections — graph view reveals patterns
Plan for the long term — files work forever

Obsidian Strengths

Speed — instant search and loading
Privacy — nothing leaves your device
Flexibility — make it work your way
Portability — switch tools anytime

Who Should Use Notion

Choose Notion if you:

Collaborate with teams — real-time editing is essential
Need databases — project management, CRMs, tracking
Prefer visual organization — boards, galleries, calendars
Want turnkey solution — works out of the box
Manage projects — tasks, timelines, dependencies

Notion Strengths

Collaboration — best-in-class team features
Databases — powerful relational structures
Templates — extensive gallery of starting points
AI features — summarization, writing assistance built-in

The Hybrid Approach

Many power users use both:

Obsidian for personal knowledge, research, and writing
Notion for team projects, shared databases, and collaboration

Web content saved as Markdown can go to either system depending on the use case.

Importing Web Content Workflows

Research Workflow (Obsidian)

Find valuable article online
Save as Markdown with Save extension
Move to ~/vault/sources/ folder
Open in Obsidian
Add [[wikilinks]] to connect ideas
Write your own notes linking to the source

Project Workflow (Notion)

Find relevant documentation or article
Save as Markdown with Save extension
Import to Notion project page
Add to project database
Share with team members
Reference in project discussions

Migration Between Tools

Obsidian to Notion

Relatively straightforward:

Select Markdown files to migrate
Import to Notion
Reorganize into databases/pages
Fix any formatting issues

You lose: wikilinks (need to recreate), graph connections, plugins

Notion to Obsidian

More complex:

Export from Notion as Markdown
Clean up Notion-specific formatting
Move files to Obsidian vault
Recreate links as wikilinks
Rebuild organization

You lose: databases (become flat files), real-time collaboration, embedded views

Performance Comparison

Obsidian

Startup: Instant
Search: Instant (indexed locally)
Large vaults: Handles 10,000+ notes
Resource usage: Low

Notion

Startup: 2-5 seconds
Search: Fast but requires network
Large workspaces: Can slow down
Resource usage: Higher (Electron app)

Privacy and Security

Obsidian

Files stay on your device
End-to-end encryption available with Obsidian Sync
Audit exactly what you share
No company has access to your notes

Notion

All data stored on Notion servers
SOC 2 Type 2 certified
Enterprise security features available
Company can technically access your data

My Recommendation

For individual knowledge workers: Start with Obsidian. The Markdown-native approach means your saved web content integrates perfectly, and you’ll never worry about data portability.

For teams and project management: Use Notion for shared work, but consider Obsidian for personal notes that feed into team projects.

For maximum flexibility: Use both. Save web content as Markdown (it works with either), then import where it makes sense for each use case.

Get Started

Whatever tool you choose, the first step is capturing great content from the web.

Install Save from the Chrome Web Store — save any webpage as clean Markdown for Obsidian, Notion, or any other tool.

Have questions? Reach out at [email protected]