SHSelfHostIndex

12 self-hosted Obsidian alternatives

Obsidian is a proprietary local-first knowledge base and note-taking app that works on plain Markdown files with linking and plugins. It offers paid sync and publish services. These open-source apps let you replace Obsidian with software you host and control yourself.

Best self-hosted Obsidian alternatives

Compare Obsidian alternatives

Switching from Obsidian

Moving off Obsidian means trading a managed subscription for a service you run yourself. The payoff is ownership: no per-seat pricing, no vendor lock-in, and full control of your data. Start with the option above that matches your setup-difficulty comfort level — every app links to a detailed specs page and head-to-head comparisons.