REVIEWS / NOTE TAKING / OWNER INSIGHTS
🦉 WE READ 519 OWNER COMMENTS
Obsidian Tasks: what owners actually say
Owners value Obsidian's local markdown approach but worry about plugin lock-in and rough sync/publish implementations
What owners complain about
- Sync and Publish quality FEW
Owners describe Obsidian's official Sync and Publish as 'horrendous implementations' of those features, despite being paid offerings
- Plugin API limitations SOME
Developers report the plugin API is lacking from a dev perspective, and that features like Dataview should be core rather than community-maintained
- Not open source SOME
Multiple users point out Obsidian is not open source, which concerns those who want guarantees about long-term data accessibility and platform direction
- Format portability concerns SOME
While files are markdown, owners note Obsidian uses its own syntax extensions and metadata tweaks, meaning a switch to another app could degrade functionality even if raw text survives
- Repeated false starts FEW
Users report many false starts with Obsidian before finding a workable flow, suggesting a steep personal-configuration curve
What owners love
- Local plain-text files
Owners love that data lives as local markdown files — no database lock-in, and AI models work naturally with .md files
- Free tier is genuinely sufficient
Users report the free version covers core needs including task syncing, completion, and creation without forcing an upgrade
- Extensibility via plugins
The plugin ecosystem lets users add functionality like Dataview, task management, and meeting templates, tailoring the vault to their workflow
- Shortcuts and automation friendly
Because vaults are just text files, users report Apple Shortcuts can push content into Obsidian as fast or faster than native Apple Notes
Surprising patterns
- Some owners skip Obsidian's sync entirely and just use Syncthing with native markdown editors like Zettlr or Zettel Notes, getting linking features without any paid service
- Users explicitly compare markdown portability to Evernote and Apple Notes and say they worry less about Obsidian data — even with format extensions — because the raw text is always accessible
- A recurring sentiment is that the note-taking app market is cyclical: users expect to eventually move on to 'Yet Another Tool,' so format portability matters more than app longevity
WHO SHOULD SKIP IT
Buyers who want a polished, out-of-the-box experience should skip it — owners consistently describe needing extensive trial and error to find a personal flow, and core features like sync are considered rough.
Synthesised from 519 real owner comments across 5 platforms. Every point is grounded in the comments — no marketing, no AI guessing. How we do it →