Penning down lessons and thoughts has always been an effective way to retain information and communicate efficiently. Whether for intensive, large-scale business meetings or a personal project, note-taking has been nearly everyone’s go-to practice since the very beginning.
That said, writing things down doesn’t necessarily lead to clarity or productivity, especially when it’s a cumbersome process, or the notes look too cluttered to refer to and share.
Dozens of note-taking apps have been launched, so much so that the market size for this kind of software was valued at $7.36 billion as of 2023. After scouring through many options, we found that the two of the most frequently used note-taking apps are ClickUp and Obsidian. However, deciding between these two becomes quite a challenge.
This article will explain the key features and differences between ClickUp vs. Obsidian and help you decide which note-taking tool is best for you.
What Is ClickUp?
ClickUp is a comprehensive work management tool that simplifies note-taking and integrates it with tasks, workflows, and projects. As a note-taking tool, it is designed to drive productivity, efficiency, and team collaboration.
ClickUp offers features such as real-time synchronization, task management tools, and tags to simplify your note-taking process and amplify its impact. This will not only help you take notes effectively but also manage them, prioritize them, and put them into action, removing all the tedious aspects of note-taking.
As a project management platform, ClickUp offers a wide range of highly customizable collaboration tools that go beyond just taking notes and improve every aspect of work and project management.
Let’s break it down and dive deeper into the note-taking features that ClickUp offers.
ClickUp features
Businesses, creators, and professionals all have their own numerous requirements for a note-taking tool. ClickUp has an arsenal of features to cater to every one of them. Here are the three key ones that focus on note-taking:
Feature #1: Knowledge management
When it comes to creating notes and documents and managing all the crucial information within an organization, ClickUp offers you two powerful features.
ClickUp Notepad, the platform’s dedicated and free online notepad, is the ideal quick-capture tool for creating and organizing notes, checklists, and tasks. It offers a streamlined, user-friendly, and intuitive interface, making it perfect for capturing and managing your thoughts wherever you are.
Here are some of the key features of ClickUp Notepad:
- Easy editing: Edit with access to many features, from font formats and headings to adding lists and links. This helps create structured notes that are easy to read and understand
- Checklists: Create checklists to keep track of your to-dos. Notepad easily adds new items, removes items from your checklists, and marks them as complete when you’re finished. This feature is great for managing personal tasks or project to-dos
- Convert to tasks: Convert your notes into trackable tasks. This is a great way to turn your ideas into actionable steps. Assigning tasks to yourself or other team members, setting due dates, and tracking progress is simplified with ClickUp Notepad. This seamless integration bridges the gap between ideation and execution
- Device compatibility: Use the ClickUp Notepad in the mobile app as well as the Chrome extension. This ensures you can jot down ideas or information whenever and wherever inspiration strikes
Additionally, ClickUp Docs is the platform’s native document creation and collaboration tool that lets you create and share documents, wikis, and more. It offers real-time editing, task management, and document sharing, making it a great tool for teams of all sizes.
Here is what ClickUp Docs does for your note-taking needs:
- Real-time collaboration: Work on documents with your team in real time without having to worry about version control or conflicts
- Task management: Create tasks directly from your documents, assign them to team members, set deadlines, and track progress
- Document sharing: Share documents securely with your team, clients, or anyone else you want to give access to
- Efficiency: Write and edit efficiently with features like slash commands, which are similar to keyboard shortcuts, allowing you to quickly insert elements like tables, code blocks, or headings without navigating menus
- Visualization: Embed rich media such as images, videos, and charts directly into your documents to simplify complex concepts and boost visual appeal. ClickUp Docs also enables you to create interactive documents so users can explore data and information in a more engaging way
Having all your documents, notes, and ideas nested in one place allows you to easily create a Wiki or knowledge repository for your organization. With all your resources and important documents stored on the same platform, you can easily search, sort, and filter assets to help you find the files and data you need within just a few seconds.
Feature #2: AI-powered productivity
ClickUp Brain brings the power of AI into your day-to-day workflows.
Here’s how ClickUp Brain helps improve productivity, team alignment, and overall task management:
- Information gathering: Use ClickUp Brain as an AI Knowledge Manager to answer questions about your notes, documents, or meeting transcripts and instantly find the information you need. This is particularly useful when dealing with large volumes of data
- Automation: Automate repetitive tasks related to note-taking, such as extracting action items from documents or creating to-do lists from existing project updates. This reduces the time taken on operational tasks and allows you to focus on note-taking for strategic functions
- Reporting: Generate reports based on information extracted from notes and documents, as well as track progress on project goals
- Summarization: Condense lengthy meeting notes, documents, or research findings into concise summaries with ClickUp Brain’s AI Writer. This is vital when you need to quickly understand the key points without reading everything in detail
Feature #3: Customization & templates
While multiple tools can help you jot down notes and save them, ClickUp shines when it comes to customization and templates. Craft the perfect note-taking environment suited to your specific workflow with features like:
- Multimedia-rich notes: Add context and relevant information to your notes by using the drag-and-drop feature to add images, videos, or GIFs directly into your note
- Universal keyword search: Find notes easily with ClickUp Universal Search functionality, regardless of where it’s stored within your ClickUp ecosystem
- Speedy formatting: Save your time with ClickUp Slash Commands. Utilize these quick shortcuts to format your notes with headers, bullet points, checklists, and more, saving you precious time
- Personalized workspace: Choose your own font styles, color schemes, and other visual elements to create a note-taking environment that inspires you
- From notes to action: Convert your notes into detailed docs to help you add context and comments and tag relevant stakeholders easily. Plus, you can even take the contents of your notes and turn them into actionable tasks, allowing you to assign action items to relevant team members
- Categorization according to your needs: Define additional data points specific to your needs with ClickUp Custom Fields. Create custom fields specific to your workflow. For instance, you might create a custom field for “Priority” (High, Medium, Low) or “Project Phase” (Planning, Development, Testing). It also lets you filter and find details faster
Whether it’s for meeting minutes, project task roadmaps, or brainstorming, ClickUp features are a comprehensive solution to every note-taking need. ClickUp also has several ready-to-use note-taking templates that get you started instantly.
ClickUp Meeting Notes Template is ideal for helping steer your team’s discussions. The template enables you to establish guidelines for your meeting and address stakeholder expectations. It also lets you create tasks according to the agenda, instantly delegate them to any team member, and seamlessly organize all your meeting occurrences into neat folders and subpages.
This ClickUp template allows you to establish workflows, link ongoing tasks, and customize the document for personal ventures and large-scale projects.
ClickUp pricing
ClickUp offers its users four pricing plans:
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7 Workspace per member per month
What Is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a note-taking and knowledge-management tool that operates on Markdown files. Apart from its quick note-taking feature, which is driven by Markdown files or plain text, it also helps visualize connections between your notes. You can jot down ideas, write, and explore your thoughts in a personalized knowledge base.
Obsidian features
Obsidian is a platform that focuses mainly on note-taking and on creating a space to boost efficiency. With the right note-taking methods in place, the tool is quite capable of simplifying note-taking and de-cluttering your thought space for better insights.
Here are Obsidian’s key features:
Feature #1: Note-taking
Obsidian stands out for its unique approach to note-taking, prioritizing user control, and a knowledge base you fully own. Some of its core functionalities include:
- Ability to use markdown for plain text formatting, helping you create notes with headings, bullet points, code snippets, and even embed multimedia elements. This lightweight yet versatile approach ensures your notes are future-proof and accessible across different platforms
- Keep your notes protected using non-proprietary files so you are never locked in and can preserve your data for long-term usage
- Personalize your note-taking experience with various themes and customization options. Choose a theme that suits your visual style and preferences, creating a workspace that inspires focus and creativity
- Create connections between your notes using Obsidian Links, which allow you to link ideas, people, places, books, and more, helping you create your own personal Wiki
- Organize your notes with folders and subfolders, while local storage ensures your knowledge remains accessible even offline
Feature #2: Visualization
One of Obsidian’s core aspects is the Obsidian Canvas, which allows you to gather all your notes, research, diagrams, and ideas in one place. This lets you make visual connections and lay out an end-to-end project roadmap or topic. Each note can be embedded within the Canvas views, allowing your entire team to expand notes to gain additional information while easily getting an overview of the entire project.
The platform also has a graph view to visualize these relationships, revealing the structure of your knowledge base and uncovering hidden connections. This makes Obsidian ideal for building a personal wiki or interconnected note repository.
Feature #3: Customization & templates
Similar to ClickUp’s customization features, Obsidian allows you to insert pre-defined snippets of text into your active notes using Obsidian templates. This allows you to leverage Obsidian for your specific requirements and build ready-to-use customizable templates that can speed up the overall note-taking and data-collection process.
Plus, with Obsidian themes and community plugins, you can easily modify the look and feel of your documents and notes, tweaking them to look just the way you want them to. Thanks to its large community, you can even find free and paid customizable themes that allow you to create a style for your documents that is unique to your organization.
Obsidian pricing
Obsidian offers two pricing plans and a few features as an add-on:
- Personal Use: Free
- Commercial Use: $50/year per user
- Add-ons: Catalyst is a one-time $25 payment, Sync is $5/month per user, and Publish is $10/month per user
ClickUp Vs. Obsidian Features Comparison
Each note-taking tool presents many advantages, and finding the right fit depends on your specific needs and processes. Before we get to the final comparison, here is a quick recap of each tool:
ClickUp best features
- Create and edit rich documents with your team on ClickUp Docs and Notepad
- Capturing ideas and storing notes on the go is effortless
- Use AI-powered ClickUp Brain to summarize notes, extract action items, and automate tasks
- Connect notes to actionable tasks and seamlessly organize tasks into folders to keep easy track
- Collaborate on notes and documents in real-time
- Update workflows, change project statuses, and assign tasks with ClickUp API widgets
- Customize metrics in your notes with Custom Fields
- Access your notes, tasks, and projects from anywhere with ClickUp’s multi-device compatibility
- Start taking notes instantly with pre-built templates for notes, documents, and projects. Also, seamlessly create templates to suit your diverse situations and needs
- Securely share your notes with stakeholders through privacy and access features
Customer ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4100+ reviews)
Obsidian best features
- Visualize connections between your notes and ideas with backlinks and a graph view
- Use md files for easy formatting and flexibility
- Store your notes locally on your device for control and data ownership
- Extend Obsidian’s functionality with a vast library of community-created plugins
- Personalize the appearance of your workspace with different themes and styles
- Join Obsidian’s active community of users who share tips, workflows, and custom plugins
- Use it across multiple desktop systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux
Customer ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough reviews
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (20+ reviews)
Here’s a feature-specific deep dive into the ClickUp vs. Obsidian comparison:
ClickUp vs. Obsidian: Knowledge management
The organizational structure of a tool drives its basic usability and productivity. Here is a breakdown of each tool’s organizational and knowledge management features.
Key ClickUp features for knowledge management
- Organize notes in folders, like filing cabinets
- Add labels to notes for easy filtering
- Create templates for consistent note formats, like checklists
- Link notes to tasks, projects, or goals for a bigger picture
- Expansive search tool to find notes quickly
- Share notes and Docs easily with edit controls
- Create shareable links for internal use or guest link public access with limited controls
Knowledge management in ClickUp
In ClickUp, all your documents, tasks, notes, and projects get stored in a workspace or centralized repository known as a Hub. This allows you to create structured documents with rich formatting, tables, and multimedia elements to house meeting minutes, research papers, or project plans. Foster seamless team collaboration with real-time co-editing, commenting features, and clear revision history.
Plus, you can organize your ClickUp knowledge base to meet your unique needs with customizable folders, nested structures, and tags. Moreover, ClickUp Universal Search lets you effortlessly locate the information you need, saving you time sifting through mountains of notes.
Additionally, ClickUp Custom Fields allows you to add metadata to notes, enabling advanced filtering and sorting based on your specific needs. Templates ensure consistency in note formats, while relationships connect notes to broader workflows for a holistic view of your knowledge base. The powerful search functionality makes it easy to locate specific notes, even within a large collection.
All of ClickUp’s organizational features drive tremendous productivity improvement.
When financial services company Atrato adopted ClickUp tools such as Docs, their organization was simplified, and productivity surged by 30%.
Key Obsidian features for knowledge management
- Navigate easily between related ideas with Obsidian’s backlinking
- Use Obsidian’s graph view to see a visual map of how all your notes are connected
- Add tags and labels to your notes to categorize them for easier search
- Group your notes together in folders for a clear and organized structure
- Access notes that you created on a specific day through its date-specific sorting
Knowledge management in Obsidian
Obsidian adopts a networked approach to organization, creating a digital environment that mimics how connections are made. Backlinks and the graph view create a web of interconnected knowledge, allowing you to effortlessly jump between related notes and explore your ideas in a non-linear fashion.
As you create more notes and link them together on Obsidian, its knowledge base becomes more comprehensive and reveals deeper relationships. This helps surface new ideas and insights that might not be readily apparent.
Who wins?
ClickUp excels at structured organization, with folders, lists, and custom fields creating a clear, linear system ideal for project-oriented users who prefer order and predefined structures. Templates make organization even easier, allowing you to set up your notes to match your workflow quickly. Plus, with ClickUp Docs, all your data and knowledge repository can be easily stored in the same platform, with access controls to ensure that those with the right permissions can access it.
Obsidian, on the other hand, thrives on connections. Backlinks link related notes together, and the graph view visualizes this web of knowledge, sparking new ideas and insights. This free-form approach is suited for those who prefer to explore and discover organically.
While both are powerful organization tools, ClickUp takes the win in the structured organization category. Its robust features cater specifically to those seeking a clear, linear path for their notes, making it a more effective solution for project-focused individuals and teams.
ClickUp vs. Obsidian: Collaboration
Our day-to-day work is deeply affected by the activities of our numerous stakeholders and teammates. Without collaboration, processes become cumbersome, so let’s compare each tool’s collaborative features for seamless teamwork and knowledge sharing.
Key ClickUp features for collaboration
- Work with multiple users to edit documents simultaneously, ensuring everyone sees the latest updates
- Add comments to highlight specific sections of notes and leave detailed feedback
- Assign tasks to team members directly from your notes or documents
- Break down projects into actionable tasks, assign them to specific team members, set deadlines, and track checklists using your notes
- Integrate your notes with 1000+ apps and platforms, including Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Webhooks, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more, ensuring that your notes can be synced across your tech stack
- Define specific permissions for guest users, controlling their access to edit, view, or comment on documents, ensuring your confidential information remains protected.
- Never lose track of changes, as ClickUp maintains a clear revision history for all your collaborative documents. This allows you to see who made edits when they were made and even revert to a previous version if necessary
Collaboration in ClickUp
ClickUp fosters a collaborative environment for teams to work together seamlessly. Real-time editing allows multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously, while comments and threaded discussions provide a platform for feedback and brainstorming.
The ability to assign tasks directly from notes ensures that ideas are translated into actionable items, and integrations with communication tools streamline the exchange of information. Version history and notifications ensure that everyone is on the same page and the progress of collaborative projects is clear.
In addition to providing built-in collaborative features, ClickUp Docs and Notepad also feature them in ready-to-use note-taking templates.
The ClickUp Recurring Meeting Notes Template is an ideal choice for collaboration. This template is designed to help you track recurring meetings and take notes quickly. This efficient template helps organize discussion points, tasks, and action items in one place and makes reviewing them for decisions and ideas seamless.
ClickUp’s collaborative elements help teams work together productively.
Key Obsidian features for collaboration
- Publish notes as websites for easy sharing
- Use third-party syncing services for collaboration
- Live Preview mode for simultaneous viewing
- Version control through Git integration
- Share notes as PDFs or Markdown files
Collaboration in Obsidian
Obsidian, primarily designed for personal knowledge management, offers limited built-in collaboration features. While it is not natively supported, Obsidian does allow you to publish notes as websites or share them as PDFs; real-time collaboration is possible, but it is not natively supported.
However, third-party syncing services and Git integration try to add collaborative aspects to projects. Obsidian’s Live Preview mode allows for simultaneous viewing, but editing remains individual.
Who wins?
ClickUp’s purpose-built collaborative features make it the clear winner for team-based note-taking.
With real-time editing, task assignments, and seamless integration with communication tools, ClickUp streamlines collaborative workflows and enhances productivity. While Obsidian offers workarounds for collaboration, its limited built-in features make it better suited for individual knowledge management.
Obsidian’s focus on individual knowledge management makes it a powerful tool for personal note-taking and organization. However, its collaborative capabilities are less robust than ClickUp’s. If you prioritize seamless real-time collaboration, task assignment, and integration with communication tools, ClickUp is the superior choice.
ClickUp vs. Obsidian: AI and automation
AI has enabled us to reduce task complexities and streamline our methods, improving productivity, saving time, and even simplifying note-taking. Here’s a breakdown of each tool’s automation features.
Key ClickUp features for AI and automation
- Summarize, get answers to questions, and draft a copy with ClickUp Brain
- Use automation to trigger actions based on events, like creating a task when a note is tagged
- Leverage pre-built templates for recurring note formats and workflows
- Benefit from integration with over 1000+ tools, from Zapier to Google Drive, to connect ClickUp with other apps and automate tasks
AI and automation in ClickUp
ClickUp’s emphasis on AI and automation is evident through its built-in AI tools and capabilities, extensive integration options, and customizable automation.
ClickUp Brain is a powerful AI feature and is perfect as an AI Writer for Work. This application helps streamline note processing by summarizing key points, extracting action items, and even answering questions based on notes.
Customizable ClickUp Automations lets you define triggers and actions, tailoring workflows to your specific needs. Integration with its built-in ClickUp API and 1000+ integrations opens up a world of possibilities, connecting ClickUp with different apps to automate tasks and information exchange.
Key Obsidian features for AI and automation
- Create and insert reusable note templates with the Templater plugin
- Use community-built plugins for various automation tasks
- Save time with hotkeys and custom commands for faster actions
- Integrate with external tools through plugins
AI and automation in Obsidian
Obsidian is not as well integrated with AI or automation as ClickUp. However, it does offer a degree of automation through plugins and customizations. The Templater plugin allows you to create reusable note templates, saving time and ensuring consistency.
Obsidian’s community of developers has created various plugins for the open-source platform to expand its automation capabilities. Additionally, hotkeys and custom commands are easily configurable to streamline repetitive tasks. While not as extensive as ClickUp’s native automation features, Obsidian’s flexibility and plugin ecosystem allow for a considerable degree of automation customization.
Who wins?
ClickUp’s comprehensive suite of automation features, including AI-powered assistance and extensive integration options, makes it the clear winner for those seeking a highly automated note-taking experience.
ClickUp Brain’s vast set of features and applications significantly streamline note processing and enhance productivity. Customizable automation and integrations further extend ClickUp’s capabilities, making it a powerful tool for those who want to minimize manual work and focus on high-level tasks.
While Obsidian does offer a considerable degree of automation through plugins for users who want to tailor their workflows, it does not compare to ClickUp Brain. Obsidian requires more manual effort and technical knowledge to achieve a similar level of automation.
ClickUp vs. Obsidian: Personalization & customization
Notes are personal. They reflect your unique thought process and workflow. Let’s see how ClickUp and Obsidian offer customization options to cater to individual preferences.
ClickUp’s personalization features
ClickUp offers a vast array of features to tailor your note-taking experience:
- Customizable layouts: Design your workspace with custom fields, views (List, Board, Kanban, Calendar), and drag-and-drop functionality
- Flexible templates: Leverage existing templates or create pre-formatted note templates for recurring tasks or project types, ensuring consistency and saving time
- Custom statuses: Move beyond generic “To-Do” and “Done” with custom statuses that reflect your specific workflow stages
- Custom fields: Order fields by importance with ClickUp’s sorting options, such as “Open,” “In Progress,” or “Approved”
- Personalized dashboards: Curate dashboards and views to visualize your progress and track key metrics at a glance
Obsidian’s personalization features
Obsidian takes a different approach, offering open-ended customization through plugins and community resources:
- Plugin ecosystem: A vast library of plugins extends Obsidian’s functionality. Popular plugins include customization tools like “Daily Notes” and “Templates,” allowing for pre-formatted note structures and recurring note creation
- Markdown mastery: Leverage markdown syntax for in-depth formatting and customization. Create custom headers and checklists, embed multimedia elements, and even build internal linking structures within your notes
- Community-driven themes: Change the look and feel of Obsidian with a wide range of themes available online, catering to different visual preferences
- Obsidian templates: Built-in functionality allows for the creation of custom templates within Obsidian itself, replicating frequently used note structures
Who wins?
Tie. If you thrive on a blank canvas, Obsidian may be your option. However, if you want something user-friendly you can quickly get started with and not spend a lot of time personalizing, ClickUp is the option to go for. It will help you get started faster, guiding you every step of the way.
ClickUp caters to users who prefer a guided, user-friendly experience with built-in customization features. The selection of pre-built options and drag-and-drop functionality makes ClickUp a breeze to personalize, and the ready-to-use variety of templates that ClickUp offers is ideal for most business use.
Obsidian, on the other hand, empowers users who enjoy deep customization and tinkering. The vast plugin library, markdown capabilities, and built-in template functionality offer an unparalleled level of control but require some technical know-how.
ClickUp vs. Obsidian: Pricing
Budget plays a big role in selecting note-taking tools, whether for personal use or business applications. Let’s compare each tool’s pricing model to help you make an informed decision.
Key ClickUp pricing plans
- Free forever plan: Get essential features for personal use
- Unlimited plan: Priced at $7/month per user with unlimited storage and advanced features
- Business plan: Priced at $12/month per user with additional features for teams and businesses
- Enterprise plan: Contact sales for custom pricing and solutions designed to cater to large organizations
- ClickUp AI: Add to any paid plan for $7 per member per month
Key Obsidian pricing plans
- Personal Use: Free access for personal use
- Commercial Use: $50/year per user
- Add-ons:
- Catalyst: $25 (one-time payment)
- Sync is $5/month per user
- Publish is $10/month per site
Who wins?
ClickUp’s tiered pricing structure provides greater transparency and allows users to choose a plan that best suits their budget and requirements, clearly making it the more advantageous choice.
While Obsidian’s core features are free for personal use, the costs quickly spike for businesses and teams, especially when considering add-on services like Sync and Publish. Obsidian’s additional costs for commercial use and add-on services might deter some users.
ClickUp’s flexible pricing model, with a free plan and various paid plans catering to different needs, makes it a more accessible and cost-effective solution for a wider range of users.
ClickUp Vs. Obsidian on Reddit
To understand users’ views, we took to Reddit.
A quick search for ClickUp vs. Obsidian on Reddit revealed that ClickUp was a far more feature-rich preference for note-taking:
Some Reddit users do mention that Obsidian is a preferable choice for those looking for offline simplicity:
Apart from ClickUp, we have also compared Obsidian with a few other note-taking tools. Here’s what we found:
- Obsidian vs. Notion: When compared, both tools come with their own pros and cons. Obsidian is a better choice for offline note-taking and knowledge management, while Notion is more suited for online collaboration and workflow integration
- Obsidian vs. Evernote: Deciding between these two is quite a test. Evernote is a better choice for capturing and organizing notes on the go, with its strong mobile app and web clipper. Obsidian excels at creating a networked knowledge base, linking ideas through backlinks and a graph view. That said, Evernote’s free plan has very limited features, while Obsidian’s learning curve and non-cloud-based platform may be steep and tedious for beginners
While there are numerous alternatives to Obsidian, none are as extensive, easy-to-use, and efficient as ClickUp.
Which Note-Taking Tool Reigns Supreme?
After our in-depth review of both note-taking tools, the winner in this comparison is clear. Between ClickUp and Obsidian, ClickUp is easily the better choice.
While Obsidian’s simple and swift note-taking features have gained popularity, it has not been able to match evolving customer needs. While its markdown language, text file note-taking format, and open-source interface do make the note-taking experience quick and seamless, it falls short on collaboration elements, compatibility, organization, and AI-driven automation.
ClickUp, on the other hand, is the perfect second brain app and stands out in every note-taking aspect there is. It extends to streamline your notes with its vast range of features. Moreover, it also enables you to integrate it with 1000+ other apps and tools. Additionally, you can quickly action your notes by turning them into Tasks in ClickUp so that momentum isn’t lost.
Whether it’s for note-taking, task management, or project execution, ClickUp is all you need.