Obsidian vs. Logseq - A High Level Overview

Obsidian and Logseq are at the forefront of the note taking space with strong communities, local-first notes, and more.

Which do you choose?

In this video, we cover similarities between these two apps and some key differences to help you decide between them.

=== GEAR ===

=== PKM Stack ===

0:00 Introduction
0:16 Similarities Obsidian vs. Logseq
0:36 Highly Customizable
0:58 Thriving Communities
1:54 3. Integrations
2:53 End-to-End Encryption
4:05 Differences Obsidian vs. Logseq
4:18 Open vs. Closed Source
6:36 Paragraph vs. Outliner
9:03 Base File Structure
9:50 Final Thoughts Obsidian vs. Logseq

[sandipb]

One important point is the licensing. To use Obsidian at work, you need to pay for the commercial license. The cost is not much ($50/y), but the general problem is that your employer may or may not approve it to be used. I am an Obsidian user, but for the work computer, I think I would prefer learning and using Logseq as the alternative for this reason - most employers dont mind open source software without commercial restrictions being used.

[pnhbs]

Long time Logseq user here that just started playing with Obsidian - I'd love a video comparing Logseq and Obsidian that's oriented toward more advanced users. For example, compare it for certain common workflows - advanced math, PDF annotation, exporting information to PDF, publishing, Sync, multi-homing, multi-tiered permissions, limitations of the assumption about files, compatibility with git, etc

[torspedia]

There are quite a number of us who use both. I use Logseq for my fleeting notes, random thoughts and project planning. Obsidian is for my intermediate and permanent notes, along with my long-form writing. 🙂

[yjhkoqm]

🔍 Similarities between Obsidian and Logseq:
💻 Both have desktop and mobile apps
💾 Offer paid sync services and support self-hosting sync (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
🎨 Highly customizable with thriving developer communities
🤝 Strong note-taking and personal knowledge management communities

🔍 Differences between Obsidian and Logseq:
📚 Obsidian is closed-source, Logseq is open-source
🗒️ Obsidian is paragraph-focused, Logseq is outliner-focused
📁 Obsidian has simpler file structure, Logseq uses additional syntax

💭 Final thoughts:
🤔 Choose based on your preference for open/closed source, paragraph/outliner style, and file structure
💻 Both are great note-taking apps, try both and see which fits your needs better

[RameshKumar-ngnf]

Sad reality is most people have not used logseq extensively to understand it use.
Logseq queries, namespace and PDF annotation and inbuilt outliner etc is so simple to use.
I quit Obsidian, the javascript query writing is so complex for a normal user and obsidian always felt like a programming screen when working on it.
Enjoying using logseq and will use it for rest of my life.

[mageprometheus]

That was a well-balanced look at them both. I have used both and agree with all your points. Logseq's database, datascript, advanced queries, and the closure programming language took me a while to get into. Obsidian's dataview plugin, javascript, and its plugin API are more accessible for the advanced stuff. Using something like Svelte and Typescript as a framework for plugin development is great, not that I have time to mess. A last annoyance with Logseq is that it creates a page for each #tag as they are just a visual alias for a link. Personally, I prefer Obsidian's way of keeping a #tag as a category mechanism.

[michaeltodd]

Logseq falls down on mobile. I see no plugins available on Android. Doesn't make sense to spend time customizing either program on Windows/Mac/Linux when those tweaks and add-ons are not available in mobile devices. I was using Logseq but this is a game changer for me. So now back to Obsidian.

[spinni]

I used Obsidian when it was really new and far from a 1.x version. It was an interesting concept but ultimately I needed something else back then.

Now I do have the need for a note taking app and if Logseq wasn't around I would probably go back to Obsidian. But I general prefer OS over closed source if everything is of equal quality. So, Logseq it is for me.

[yarikv]

I liked your comparison. Straight to the point. Thanks!
Also enjoyed meaningful conversation in the comments.

[donaldmickunas]

I used Obsidian a year or two ago. I quickly became lost in all of the choices. My problem was that I really didn't know what I wanted. I finally dropped out of Obsidian and used Vimwiki for a while. Then, a few months ago, I took another look at Logseq. I installed it and found a system that fits me like a glove. Could I have made Obsidian into something close? Sure. It is like Logseq was made for me. I have nothing against Obsidian but it wasn't for me at the time I tried to use it.
Who knows what the future holds? Thanks for a great video.

[francisgigot]

Thanks for these videos... As a former Evernote and Roam Research user.
Obsidian is MUCH more stable than Logseq...
I suggest a test with 10000 files in Logseq and Obsidian...
As far as I'm concerned, Logseq freezes, bugs... Is very slow.
Obsidian imports everything transparently, quickly and reliably...
I like Logeseq a lot, but as far as I'm concerned, it's unusable with large databases...
Tested on several Windows PCs, Linux...

[tomo-one]

A video which do nit SHOW the tools to compare is useless for me. This can be done with a article or podcast.

[BB-zdsf]

Stopped watching at 7:51 and gave you a big thumbs down because it's just... you talking. You should have actually included screencaps or something.

[ppreshants]

Thank you for the excellent video and the quick summary at the end 😊

[voldefox]

Will you do a comparison between Logseq and Tana?

[yaaqoubeliyyahu]

If you were going to set up the Tiago Forte PARA Method; how would you do it in Logseq? Thank you.

[GeniusUnleashed]

It doesn't sound like you used Logseq enough to understand how it functions. Daily note is a an option but completely irrelevant if you don't want to use it. Just live off the favorites bar/recent bar or search to find notes or create a new note. Logseq is like walking into a tornado and easily being able to find an unnamed note or any piece of information you're looking for. I stopped using Obsidian when i realized it was a more frustrating version of Apple Notes. Some people's brains function that way and need structure, Logseq allows creative flow without any kind of structure if you don't want it and easily creating structure if you do. Obsidian was a nightmare to create a structure-less workflow.

[ohare-jq]

One point you missed about Obsidian being closed source: the developers argue (in the thread you mentioned) that a closed source application is more safe. The code being open means good actors can verify and contribute, but it also means bad actors can search for vulnerabilities and exploit them.

Agree or disagree, I think it’s worth mentioning 🙂

[jefftothealbright]

I remember when Logseq was being developed.

[WFTA]

This was actually helpful, thank you.