Choosing the perfect digital space to keep track of your thoughts and ideas is a big decision. Both Obsidian vs Capacities are amazing tools that help you build your very own “second brain” by linking notes together. They are much more than just simple text editors.
This article will help you understand the core differences between these two powerful apps, making it easier for you to pick the one that best suits how you like to learn and remember things. Think about your goals. Do you want total freedom or a guiding structure?
What is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a free note-taking application that creates a personal network of knowledge right on your computer using plain text files called Markdown. It’s like having a private library where you own every single book, ensuring your notes are safe and can be opened anywhere, forever.
The main idea of Obsidian is bidirectional linking, which means every note acts as a hub, and a visual graph shows how all your ideas connect. This flexibility is perfect for people who love to customize their tools and want a powerful system that grows with their unique way of thinking and organizing information.
What are Capacities?
Capacities is a flexible note-taking app that organizes information around objects, such as people, books, projects, or meetings, instead of just folders. This makes organizing feel more natural, reflecting the real-world things and relationships you encounter every day.
It helps you manage knowledge by focusing on the content and providing structure through its unique object system, which is great for those who prefer a clear starting framework. Capacities features like an AI assistant and calendar integrations are available to help you quickly capture, connect, and retrieve your linked thoughts.
Conclusion
Both Obsidian and Capacities are fantastic for building a personalized knowledge base, but they have different approaches. Obsidian offers maximum control with local files, extensive community plugins, and a strong focus on plain text freedom. Capacities, on the other hand, provides a more structured experience with its object-based system, which is great for a more guided and organized way of connecting your thoughts. Your choice depends on whether you value total customization or a clear, ready-made framework for your ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Which app is better for beginners?
Capacities often has an easier learning curve for beginners because its object-based system provides a clear structure from the start. Obsidian, while simple at its core, requires more setup and customization, which can be overwhelming at first.
2. Can I use both apps for free?
Yes, both Obsidian and Capacities offer a generous free plan that includes all core note-taking and knowledge-linking features. Paid options are available for features like cloud syncing (Obsidian) or an AI assistant (Capacities).
3. Where are my notes stored in each application?
In Obsidian, your notes are stored locally as plain Markdown files on your device, giving you full control and ownership. Capacities stores your notes in its cloud, but it does offer options to easily export your content to various formats like Markdown.
4. Which app has better customization?
Obsidian is the winner for customization. It has a massive community-driven plugin ecosystem (over 1,000 plugins) and allows you to adjust nearly every aspect of the app’s look and functionality. Capacities relies on its built-in features and structure.
5. What is the main difference in how they organize information?
Obsidian primarily uses folders and tags, with links creating a web between notes (a file-based system). Capacities uses an “object-based” system where notes are specific types of things (like a Person or a Project) that have custom properties and links.
6. Do both apps support a visual graph view of my notes?
Yes, both Obsidian and Capacities have a visual graph view that shows how your notes are connected through links. This feature is a great way to explore your knowledge network and discover new relationships between ideas.
7. Is one of them better for working offline?
Obsidian is truly an offline-first app since your files are stored locally on your device at all times. Capacities offers offline support, but it is primarily a cloud-based tool that requires initial and periodic syncing.
8. Which is better for a structured workflow, like task management?
Capacities, with its object system, can feel more naturally suited for structured workflows like task management, as it lets you create dedicated “Task” objects with properties. Obsidian requires plugins and templates to build a similar, but highly customizable, system.
9. Which app supports the Markdown format?
Both apps support Markdown, a simple way to format text using symbols (like using ** for bold). Obsidian uses plain Markdown files for storage, while Capacities uses Markdown for formatting within its content blocks.
10. Can I share my notes with others?
Obsidian has an optional paid service called Obsidian Publish to share your vaults as a public website. Capacities allows you to grant others view-only access to individual notes and collections, which is useful for quick sharing.
