Softwr

Research · head to head

Obsidian vs SurveyMonkey

Obsidian logo

Obsidian

Research

A powerful knowledge base on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SurveyMonkey logo

SurveyMonkey

Research

Turn feedback into action

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Obsidian sync is a paid add-on at $4 per month billed annually rather than part of the app; SurveyMonkey team plans require minimum 3 users as baseline
  • They diverge on capability: Obsidian covers Bidirectional linking, SurveyMonkey covers Survey builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Obsidian and SurveyMonkey actually diverge.

Attributes where Obsidian and SurveyMonkey differ
AttributeObsidianSurveyMonkey
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidWeb
Founded20201999

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Obsidian

  • Bidirectional linking
  • Graph view visualization
  • Markdown support
  • Local file storage
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Custom CSS themes
  • Templates
  • Search and tags

Only in SurveyMonkey

  • Survey builder
  • Question bank
  • Survey logic
  • Multi-language surveys
  • Mobile surveys
  • Real-time results
  • Data analysis tools
  • Custom branding

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Obsidian

  • Local-first markdown note taking with no account requirednot SurveyMonkey
  • Linking notes into a personal knowledge graphnot SurveyMonkey
  • Syncing a vault across devices with end-to-end encryption on the paid add-onnot SurveyMonkey
  • Publishing a public site from a vaultnot SurveyMonkey
  • Extending the editor with community pluginsnot SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey

  • Market research and customer surveysnot Obsidian
  • Employee feedback and engagement trackingnot Obsidian
  • Data collection and analysisnot Obsidian
  • Customer satisfaction and NPS measurementsnot Obsidian

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Obsidian

  • Sync is a paid add-on at $4 per month billed annually rather than part of the app
  • Publishing to the web is a further $8 per month per site
  • Commercial use asks for a $50 per user per year licence, though the vendor states it is not required
  • Collaboration is limited compared with a hosted notes tool, since the vault is local files first

SurveyMonkey

  • Team plans require minimum 3 users as baseline
  • Annual response limits enforced: 50,000 responses/year on Team Advantage, 100,000 on Team Premier
  • Additional responses beyond annual limits charged at AED 0.50 per response
  • Enterprise plan requires custom pricing and minimum 5 users
  • Advanced features like multilingual surveys and phone support require Team Premier tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Obsidian

Free
  • Obsidian Sync$4/month
    • Sync notes across devices
  • Obsidian Publish$8/month
    • Turn notes into a website

SurveyMonkey

Free
  • Team Advantage$99/month
    • 50,000 responses per year
    • Unlimited surveys and questions
    • 3 user minimum
  • Team Premier$240/month
    • 100,000 responses per year
    • All Team Advantage features
    • White label branding

Which should you pick?

Choose Obsidian if

  • You need bidirectional linking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want graph view visualization.
Obsidian review

Choose SurveyMonkey if

  • You need survey builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want question bank.
SurveyMonkey review

Questions people ask

Is Obsidian or SurveyMonkey better?
Neither clearly leads. Obsidian starts at Free and SurveyMonkey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Obsidian or SurveyMonkey?
Obsidian starts at Free and SurveyMonkey at Free.
Does Obsidian or SurveyMonkey run on more platforms?
Obsidian runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. SurveyMonkey runs on Web.
Can I use Obsidian for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Obsidian best used for?
Obsidian is most often used for local-first markdown note taking with no account required, linking notes into a personal knowledge graph, syncing a vault across devices with end-to-end encryption on the paid add-on, publishing a public site from a vault. Of those, local-first markdown note taking with no account required and linking notes into a personal knowledge graph are not what SurveyMonkey is typically brought in for.
What can Obsidian do that SurveyMonkey cannot?
Obsidian covers Bidirectional linking, Graph view visualization, Markdown support, Local file storage. SurveyMonkey covers Survey builder, Question bank, Survey logic, Multi-language surveys.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Obsidian: Is Obsidian free?

Yes. The core Obsidian application is 100% free for personal and commercial use with no limitations. You can use unlimited vaults and every core feature without payment.

Source
SurveyMonkey: How much does SurveyMonkey cost?

SurveyMonkey offers team plans starting at AED 99 per user per month for Team Advantage and AED 240 per user per month for Team Premier. Both plans require a minimum of 3 users. Billing can be monthly or annual.

Source
Obsidian: What file format does Obsidian use?

Obsidian stores every note as a plain Markdown file. Because it uses standard Markdown instead of a proprietary format, your notes remain portable and can be edited with many other Markdown editors.

Source
SurveyMonkey: What are SurveyMonkey's overage fees?

SurveyMonkey charges AED 0.50 per additional response on paid plans beyond the annual limit included in each tier.

Source
Obsidian: Can I collaborate with others in Obsidian?

The core application does not include built-in team collaboration features. However, Obsidian offers optional add-ons and can be used with version control systems or cloud storage for collaboration.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Obsidian

More on SurveyMonkey

Keep looking

Other head to heads