VaultExit — Obsidian Exit Kit · Article

Obsidian vs Joplin: plain files vs encrypted control

By Ali Raza • Last checked: 3 November 2026 • Authors

Main topic: Obsidian vs Joplin · Facts checked 3 November 2026 — prices change, so re-check the official page before acting on them.

Last checked: 3 November 2026

Short answer: pick Joplin if you want free, open source, end-to-end encryption and the option to self-host — and you accept that notes live in Joplin’s own database format rather than a folder of plain files. Pick Obsidian if plain Markdown files, plugins and polish matter more than encryption and price. Facts checked 3 November 2026; the Joplin Cloud figure below is from an earlier check and is labelled as such.

Head to head

	Obsidian	Joplin
Price	App free; Sync $4/mo yearly · $5/mo monthly	App free; Joplin Cloud from about €2.99/mo (earlier check — re-check the official page)
Open source	No — free but closed-source	Yes — AGPL-3.0
Your notes	Plain Markdown files in your folder	Joplin’s own database format (exportable, not a plain folder)
Encryption	Sync offers encryption options	End-to-end encryption is a core feature
Self-hosting	Not applicable — local files or Obsidian Sync	Yes — Joplin Server, WebDAV, Nextcloud, S3
Plugins	2,000+ community plugins, Dataview	A smaller, practical plugin set
Mobile	The benchmark phone apps	Solid, capable phone apps

↔ Scroll this table sideways — the rest of the page stays put.

Where Joplin wins

Control. Joplin is genuinely open source, encrypts your notes end to end, and syncs through infrastructure you choose — its own Joplin Cloud, your WebDAV or Nextcloud server, S3, or a local folder. The app is free, so a careful user can run a private, encrypted setup for the price of a small server or a low-cost Cloud plan — far below per-seat Obsidian Sync at team sizes.

Where Obsidian wins

Your notes are just Markdown files in a folder — readable in any editor, in twenty years, with no export step. The plugin ecosystem (Dataview, Templater, Canvas, Excalidraw) is far deeper, the apps are more polished, and graph-first navigation is built in rather than a basic plugin. Joplin has nothing like Dataview.

Who should pick which

Privacy-first, self-hoster, budget-conscious → Joplin.
Plugin power user, writer, “my files, any editor” person → Obsidian.
Not sure → run the vault checker: it scores Joplin against the exact features your vault uses, so you see the damage before you move.

Questions people ask

Is Joplin really free?

The app is free and open source. You only pay if you choose Joplin Cloud (from about €2.99/month in an earlier check — re-check the official pricing page) or your own server costs. Syncing via an existing WebDAV or Nextcloud setup can cost nothing extra.

Does Joplin lock my notes in?

Notes live in Joplin’s database rather than a browsable folder of Markdown files, but Joplin exports to Markdown, HTML and PDF. You are not locked in — you are just not living in plain files day to day, the way you do in Obsidian.

Which is better for a team?

Neither is a real-time collaboration tool. Joplin suits individuals and small groups sharing notebooks; for live co-editing, look at AppFlowy or AFFiNE in the full alternatives list.

Picker quiz →Vault checker True-cost calculator Kit home