Notion vs Obsidian vs Note Cargo: Which is better? (2026)
Notion is an all-in-one cloud workspace. Obsidian is a local-first Markdown vault with a rich plugin ecosystem.
TL;DRNotion is an all-in-one workspace with databases and real-time collaboration. Obsidian is a local-first app with a rich plugin ecosystem and strong offline support.
Note Cargo stores standard Markdown in your own S3/R2 bucket - ~30 MB RAM, fully self-hosted.
Notion wins on collaboration. Obsidian wins on offline and plugins. Note Cargo wins on ownership and simplicity.
Notion
Obsidian
Note Cargo
Pricing
Data & Privacy
Platform
Markdown & Portability
Collaboration
Self-Hosting
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most affordable - Notion, Obsidian, or Note Cargo?
Note Cargo wins on cost. It is a one-time payment. Notion charges monthly per seat. Obsidian is free but charges for sync. S3/R2 storage for Note Cargo typically costs a few cents per month.
Which app gives me the most control over my data?
Note Cargo. Your files live in your own S3/R2 bucket - you own the storage, you own the data. Notion stores everything on their servers. Obsidian keeps files local but has no built-in cloud backup.
Can I use standard Markdown with all three apps?
Note Cargo and Obsidian both use standard Markdown files. Notion uses a proprietary format that is difficult to fully export. If portability matters, avoid Notion.
Ready to switch to Note Cargo?
Self-hosted, Markdown-native, stored in your own S3/R2. One-time payment, no subscriptions.