If you are weighing Anytype vs Obsidian for a note system an AI can actually work with, here is the short version. I picked Obsidian, and the deciding factor was not the features. It was the file format.
Both tools are good. I am building a second brain that I want Codex and other local AI agents to read, write to, and reason over. That goal changes which tradeoffs matter most.
This is the honest version of how I chose, what each tool is genuinely better at, and who should pick which.
I am a solo developer building in public under softDev23, and my notes are not a hobby. They are where my app plans, decisions, and the systems I run actually live.
So I did not pick based on which app looked nicer. I picked based on what survives a decade and which path gives an AI the least-fragile access.
The short answer is plain files
Obsidian stores your notes as plain Markdown files in a normal folder on your computer. Anytype stores your notes in its own local, encrypted, object-based database.
That difference decided my original choice. An AI agent can read a folder of Markdown files directly. Anytype now has a local API, so agents can reach it too, but they use an authenticated interface instead of the working files.
If you do not care about AI access, this difference matters far less, and Anytype has real advantages I will get to.
If your plan is to point an AI at your notes and have it help you think, write, and build, plain files remain the simplest path. They are no longer the only path.
The real fork is now direct files versus a structured, encrypted workspace with an API. Both can support automation. They differ in portability, setup, and how much of the app must remain in the loop.
Anytype vs Obsidian comparison table
| Question | Anytype | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Local-first encrypted object data, with local P2P, Anytype backup nodes, local-only mode, or self-hosting options | Local files in a normal vault folder |
| Native format | Encrypted objects and relations inside Anytype | Markdown files plus normal attachments |
| Export | Desktop export to Markdown, JSON, or Protobuf | No separate export needed for notes because the working files are already Markdown |
| Collaboration | Encrypted shared channels with Viewer and Editor roles | Shared vault collaboration through optional Obsidian Sync |
| Sync | Encrypted network sync, local P2P, local-only, or self-hosted options | Optional Obsidian Sync or a compatible folder-sync setup |
| Extensions | Local API, CLI, integrations, and MCP examples | Large community plugin ecosystem plus direct file automation |
| AI agent access | Local API with an API key, plus MCP and CLI paths | Direct file access, plugins, scripts, and MCP paths |
| Optional paid services | Free plan, then Plus, Pro, and Ultra for more remote storage and naming features | The app is free. Sync and Publish are optional paid services |
This table reflects the official product and documentation pages I checked on August 9, 2026. Both products can change, especially their API, sync, and plan limits.
What Anytype is genuinely good at
Anytype is the more impressive piece of software in a lot of ways, and it deserves credit. It is local-first and encrypted. Data is stored on your device first, then can sync through local P2P, Anytype’s backup network, or a self-hosted setup.
For people who left Notion specifically over privacy and ownership, that is a real draw.
It is also structured. Anytype treats notes as objects with types and relations, closer to a database than a text file.
If you like the Notion style of building a system out of linked databases, properties, and views, Anytype gives you that without the cloud dependency. It looks polished, it feels modern, and the object model is powerful for people who think in structured data.
The honest summary is that Anytype is what you reach for if you want a private, structured, Notion-like workspace that you own. Its shared channels support Viewer and Editor roles, so collaboration is now part of the product rather than a future promise.
What Obsidian is genuinely good at
Obsidian’s strength is almost boring, and that is the point. It is plain Markdown files in a folder.
There is no proprietary format, no lock-in, and no company you depend on to stay alive in order to keep reading your own notes. If Obsidian disappeared tomorrow, my notes would still be sitting there as text files I can open in anything.
That durability is what I value most as a solo developer trying to build something that lasts. The notes outlive the app.
I can put the folder in Git, back it up anywhere, edit it in another editor, and run scripts over it. The format does not trap me.
It is also quietly extensible. Obsidian has a large community plugin ecosystem, but the base is just files, so I am never betting my data on a plugin. I get flexibility on top of a foundation that does not move.
Where Notion fits, and why I did not pick it
Most people comparing Anytype vs. Obsidian are really asking a bigger question, which is what to use instead of Notion. Notion is the incumbent, and it is excellent at what it does. Collaborative, database-driven workspaces that look great and work well for teams.
I did not pick Notion for my second brain for two reasons. First, my notes live in Notion’s cloud and its format, which is the opposite of the ownership I want.
Second, and more importantly for me, an AI cannot freely read a Notion workspace the way it can read a folder of files. There are integrations, but it is access through a keyhole, not a wide-open door.
If you work on a team and need shared, structured docs, Notion is still sensible, and Anytype is the closer like-for-like alternative. Both are worth exploring when structure and collaboration matter most.
For my solo AI-first system, Obsidian still fits better because the files are direct. Anytype is now a real contender when privacy, collaboration, and object structure matter more than direct files.
Anytype vs Obsidian for an AI second brain
For my specific AI second-brain setup, Obsidian still wins because the file format removes an integration layer. Codex can work with the vault even when Obsidian itself is closed.
When my notes are plain Markdown files, an AI agent can read them, search them, write new ones, and reorganize them directly, the same way it works with any other files.
My whole AIOS setup depends on that. Codex and other local agents can open the vault, see plans and decisions, and act on the files. My Obsidian AI workflow shows the system, while the Obsidian MCP guide covers another access path.
Anytype has closed much of that gap. Its Local API runs on localhost, supports API keys, and exposes core object operations. Anytype’s developer portal also lists MCP and CLI examples for AI and automation work.
Obsidian still has the lower-friction default. The agent reads the same files I read, without translating the vault through an API or keeping a desktop service available.
The rule I landed on is still simple. The best second brain app is the one your AI can read reliably. Both now pass that test, but Obsidian’s plain files remain the better fit for what I am doing.
Who should pick which
I am not going to pretend my choice is the right one for everyone, because it is not. The right pick depends on what you are optimizing for.
Pick Anytype if your priority is privacy, encrypted collaboration, and a structured, Notion-like workspace. AI access is possible through its local API, but you should be comfortable managing an API key and an integration layer.
It is polished, encrypted, local-first, and the object model is powerful. For a private personal knowledge base, it is a strong, modern choice.
Pick Obsidian if you want durability, portability, and an AI that can actually work with your notes. If you care about owning your data as plain text, putting it in version control, and never being locked into one app, Obsidian is the safer long-term bet.
If you are building an AI workflow on top of your notes, Obsidian is the simplest choice when direct file access matters more than database structure.
Pick Notion if you are collaborating with a team and want the most refined database-driven workspace, and the cloud and the format do not bother you.
Current pricing and paid services
Anytype’s current pricing page lists a free plan with 100 MB of remote storage and ten shared channels. Plus is $4 per month, Pro is $8, and Ultra is $16, with higher remote-storage limits.
Obsidian is free without limits for the core app. Obsidian Sync starts at $4 per user per month when billed yearly, or $5 monthly. Publish starts at $8 per site per month yearly, or $10 monthly.
The comparison is not simply free versus paid. Anytype charges for more hosted network capacity and identity features. Obsidian charges for optional first-party sync and publishing while leaving the local app and files free.
Sync, mobile, and getting to your notes
Both apps sync across devices, but they do it differently, and the difference matters if you live on your phone as much as your laptop.
Anytype syncs through its own encrypted network, so your devices stay in step without your notes ever sitting on a readable server. It is private by design, and the mobile app is genuinely polished.
Obsidian gives you more choices and more responsibility. You can pay for Obsidian Sync, or roll your own with iCloud, a Git repo, or any folder-sync tool, because the vault is just files.
That flexibility is the point, but it does mean you set sync up rather than having it handed to you. For an AI workflow, this still favors plain files. A Git-backed folder is something my scripts and agents can reach from anywhere, not only from inside one app.
Plugins, extensibility, and the ceiling
Obsidian has a large community plugin ecosystem, and because the base is plain files, plugins extend the app without trapping the notes. If a plugin dies, the Markdown remains. The official plugin directory is the mature advantage here.
Anytype now has a real developer path too. Its local API can create, read, update, search, and archive objects. The official developer examples include an MCP server, a CLI, and community SDKs.
The difference is foundation. Obsidian extensions sit on files you can reach without Obsidian. Anytype integrations work through the Anytype data model and authenticated API. That is more capable than the old closed-app comparison suggested, but it is still a different dependency.
The lock-in test
The simplest way to compare any two note apps is the lock-in test. If the company vanished tomorrow, how much of your work could you walk away with, today, in a format something else can read?
With Obsidian, the answer is everything, instantly, because it was never in a proprietary format to begin with. Plain Markdown opens in any editor on any system.
With Anytype, your notes are yours and encrypted, but portability is a separate desktop action. The official export tool can produce Markdown, JSON, or Protobuf. That is real portability, but it is a snapshot rather than the native working state.
Neither answer is wrong. It just tells you which bet each app is making, and which one matches how long you expect to keep these notes.
What I actually use today
I run Obsidian as the home for everything that is not code under softDev23. App plans, decisions, systems, and agent rules all live there as Markdown in a Git-backed vault, readable by Codex and other local agents.
It is not the prettiest option, and Anytype genuinely looks better in a demo. But pretty was never the requirement.
The requirement was that my notes outlive any single app and that an AI can read and write them with as little friction as possible. Obsidian meets both through direct files. Anytype now meets the access requirement through its API, but that extra layer still matters to me.
If you are choosing between them, start with one question. Do you want direct Markdown files, or an encrypted object workspace with an API? Answer that, and Anytype vs Obsidian becomes a much cleaner decision.
