Battle Royale: Obsidian vs Logseq — Which is Better?
Which is better, Obsidian or Logseq? The time has come for the answer to this timeless question. The answer will shock and amaze you.
NOTE: This article was originally published on substack, but I have now moved it here to Medium.
For the past two months, I have been living with Logseq as my daily driver for all my note-taking needs, from research, to project management and beyond. Before that, I used Obsidian for well over a year, so I know both tools well enough to finally resolve one of the most important questions of 2023: Which is the better Tool for Thought, Obsidian or Logseq?
The answer might shock you. Let’s get to my review.
Talk is cheap, live it!
First some ground rules.
I try to be careful to not comment too much on tools I have not personally used. Installing a tool for a few hours or even a few days rarely does it justice. You need to use a tool for an extended period and really use it, pushing through the learning curve and adapting to different ways of doing things. It is too easy to draw early conclusions that are wrong and biased, this is why you have to put in the time and hard work.
So having lived with Logseq for two months, daily visiting their Discord server, and online forum, and following all the cool Twitter people, I believe I have finally reached a point where I can now make a fair comparison and conclusion about the tools.
I don’t want to waste your time, so I am going to tell you right at the outset who is the winner and then begin to explain my reasons for this conclusion. You can skip my explanation if it doesn’t interest you, I won’t be offended. But please do read the next section at least.
Drum roll…. the winner is…
Simply put: there is no winner, they are both winners.
One is not better than the other. They are two tools that produce very similar results but in very different ways.
The real difference is not in the tool, but rather in the users of these tools and the goals these users have. Having a choice is good, and we sure have two great products to choose from that appeal to different ways of thinking.
Imagine you plan to travel to the other end of the country, you can take the bus or train. Both have their advantages, both appeal to different people for different reasons. In the end, you get to the same destination. Same with these tools, just different ways of getting to the same place.
So sorry to disappoint, one is not better than the other, just one tool appeals to some more than the other, while the other tool also appeals to others more.
I think it’s a mistake to view them as competitors. In fact, I see them as complimentary, helping note-taking thinkers, but each in its own special way.
How are they similar?
They both have many features in common. Let me list the common features:
- Markdown formatting
- Markdown storage
- Backlinks
- Mobile apps
- Extensibility through plugins
- Vibrant and friendly communities
- Dedicated development teams
- Graph view
- Search
- Transclusion
- Custom formatting with CSS
- Publishing to websites
- Both are free in most cases
- Each has their own branded sync service
Obsidian and Logseq have these features in common, but of course, they are implemented differently and each tool might have advantages. However in the end, for the most part, the results are the same.
How are they different?
Now we get to the part that separates them one from the other. To do this, I remind you of something I said earlier: it is all about the user, their goals, and preferences.
Logseq is going to appeal to users who prefer:
- using an outliner
- open-source software
Obsidian will appeal more to those who prefer:
- using a long-form editor (similar to Word or Google Docs)
- those who prefer a “for profit” model because of potential long-term assurances and support
I am sure you were expecting something more profound, but it boils down to these few things:
- What type of editor do you like to write in? An outliner or long-form writing?
- Open-source or closed-source? Each of these is a strategy for product development with its pros and cons.
Trial Run
Now having said all that I said, let me give you some advice: give both tools a try. They are free to download, you have little to lose.
If you are currently evaluating both tools, put forth the effort to use both tools for some time. It doesn’t need to be two months. Usually, you can tell if one is for you rather quickly. I say that because in this world there are two types of people: Those who love outliners and those who hate outliners.
If you try Logseq and just can’t get used to the outlining after a few days (or the longer the better), you’ll probably feel more at home with Obsidian. However, if you put in the time, you might find a new love in your life, the outliner.
To each his own, neither is better, just differences in the way we think. If you read my previous article Are Long-form Note-taking Tools Better than Outliners? you may now see what I was getting at with that article. It is all about the preference of the user.
Give each tool a try, and pick the one that appeals to you the most. Don’t beat yourself up that you couldn’t make one of them work, or you didn’t understand it, or it didn’t click with you. What is important is to leverage one of these Tools for Thought in your note-taking universe.
Wrapping it up
I can recommend both Obsidian and Logseq. I use them both for different tasks. This isn’t for everyone, but it works for me. These are great tools, built by great people and that have great communities.
Bottom line: you can’t go wrong with either Obsidian or Logseq.
Thank you for reading this article. Please check out more of my work at https://tfthacker.com
