Obsidian vs Trilium Notes: linked files or a personal wiki?
If you want more than a simple notepad, Obsidian and Trilium Notes are two of the strongest free options for a personal knowledge base. Obsidian links Markdown files together; Trilium organises notes in a deep tree that behaves like a private wiki and can be hosted on your own server.
The two contenders
-
Free
A freeware Markdown knowledge base built on local files, with backlinks, graph view and a huge plugin catalogue.
-
Free
An open-source hierarchical notes app with cloning, attributes, scripting and an optional self-hosted sync server.
At a glance
| Obsidian | Trilium Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Freeware (closed source) | Open source |
| Structure | Folders plus links between notes | A tree where one note can appear in several places (cloning) |
| Storage | Plain Markdown files | A database (SQLite); export available |
| Note types | Markdown, canvas, attachments | Rich text, code, diagrams, relation maps, saved searches and more |
| Access from anywhere | Through sync to your devices | Self-hosted server with a web interface plus desktop sync |
| Automation | Community plugins | Built-in scripting with note attributes |
Two ways of organising knowledge
Obsidian is "bottom-up": you write notes and connect them with links, and structure emerges from the links, the backlinks panel and the graph view. Trilium is "top-down": every note lives in a tree, but a note can be cloned into several branches, and attributes and relations let you build something close to a personal database. People who think in outlines often prefer Trilium; people who think in connections often prefer Obsidian.
Hosting and data ownership
Obsidian’s files are yours in the most literal sense: they are ordinary Markdown documents on your disk. Trilium keeps notes in a database, which enables its richer note types, and adds something Obsidian does not have out of the box: you can run a Trilium server yourself and open your notes in a browser from any computer, while desktop clients sync with it. Trilium is now maintained by a community team that continued the original project.
Our verdict
Choose Obsidian for a lightweight, file-based system with a vast plugin ecosystem. Choose Trilium Notes if you want an open-source, self-hostable wiki with scripting and structured data. For a simpler open-source alternative, see Joplin vs Obsidian.
Frequently asked questions
Can Trilium Notes run in a web browser?
Yes. Besides the desktop app, Trilium can run as a server on your own machine or VPS and be opened in a browser, with desktop clients syncing to it.
Does Obsidian have a web version?
Obsidian is a desktop and mobile app. It does not offer a self-hosted web interface like Trilium does.
Which one is better for large collections of notes?
Both handle thousands of notes. Trilium’s tree, cloning and attributes help with very structured collections, while Obsidian relies on links, search and plugins.
Can I import Markdown into Trilium?
Yes. Trilium can import Markdown files, so you can bring notes over from Obsidian or other editors; review formatting and links afterwards.
More comparisons
XAMPP vs WampServer · Joplin vs Obsidian · Joplin vs QOwnNotes · v2rayN vs Hiddify · antiX vs MX Linux · MinGW vs MinGW-w64 · Xournal vs Xournal++