Same .md folder. Same [[wiki-links]].
What changes is the app around them: native on Mac, iPhone, and iPad,
and finished when you install it.
US$14 lifetime through August 31, 2026. Apple handles refunds.
There is no import step, and Obsidian still opens the same folder.
Instead of a startup sequence
Obsidian starts a browser engine, restores your workspace, then loads plugins. Raven is native code: cold to cursor in under 300ms.
Instead of a plugin list
Daily notes, tasks, and tables are a plugin decision in Obsidian. In Raven they ship with the app: nothing to configure, nothing to break on update day.
Instead of a wrapped mobile app
Obsidian's mobile app carries the desktop workspace onto a phone, and not every plugin comes with it. Raven's iPhone and iPad apps are written for the phone they run on.
Raven is one more app reading the folder you already have. Obsidian keeps opening it too.
What people ask before they switch.
| Dimension | Raven
| Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Native feel, speed, zero setup | Extensibility, graph view, cross-platform |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Linux, Android |
| Engine | Native SwiftUI and UIKit | Electron on desktop |
| Launch time | Under 300ms | Several seconds, depending on plugins |
| Setup required | None, great defaults | Plugins, themes, CSS, hotkeys |
| File format | Plain .md in your folder | Plain .md in your folder |
| Backlinks | [[Wiki-links]] and backlinks | [[Wiki-links]], backlinks, graph, canvas |
| Sync | Included, optional | Paid add-on, or DIY over iCloud |
| Journal | Daily notes, built in | Plugin and config driven |
| Tasks | Across notes, with filters and a board | Plugin and config driven |
| Agent access | Files on disk, plus Companion CLI/MCP | Files on disk |
| Pricing | US$14 lifetime through August 31, then US$25/year | Free personal, paid sync, US$50 commercial |
Three things you’d give up.
Dataview, Templater, Excalidraw: none have an equivalent in Raven. There is no plugin system, and none planned.
Raven shows backlinks for the note you're reading. No graph, no canvas. If the map is how you work, keep Obsidian.
Raven is Mac, iPhone, and iPad only. A Windows laptop or an Android phone in your day is a hard stop.
One purchase includes Raven and future updates.
US$14 one time
Lifetime offer ends August 31, 2026. Apple handles refunds.
New purchases are US$25/year.
Questions
Yes. Point Raven at the folder your vault already lives in. It reads the same plain .md files, so nothing is imported or copied into a database.
Yes. Raven resolves the same [[wiki-style]] links and shows every note linking back to the one you're reading. YAML frontmatter is left as written.
They don't carry over. Raven has no plugin system; Journal, tasks, tables, and search are built in instead. If your day depends on Dataview or Templater, stay with Obsidian.
No. Raven has backlinks but no graph or canvas. If the graph is how you think about your notes, stay with Obsidian.
Yes, and you don't have to choose: the files never leave your folder, so both apps read the same vault. Apple also handles refunds through Report a Problem.
Obsidian is free for personal use. Obsidian Sync starts at $5/month, or $4/month billed yearly. Publish starts at $10/month. A commercial-use license is $50 per user per year.
US$14 once for lifetime access through August 31, 2026, sync and future updates included. From September 2026, new purchases are US$25/year. Lifetime buyers keep everything.
On one device with no sync, Obsidian is free and cheaper. Sync a Mac and an iPhone and Obsidian Sync becomes a monthly bill, while Raven is US$14 once through August 31, sync included.
No. Raven is Mac, iPhone, and iPad only. If cross-platform is a hard requirement, Obsidian is the better choice.
Yes. Notes are files on disk, so any file-capable tool reads them without an export step, same as an Obsidian vault. Raven Companion adds a permissioned CLI and MCP path for Raven-aware edits.