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Research · head to head

Obsidian vs Zappi

Obsidian logo

Obsidian

Research

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zappi logo

Zappi

Research

Automated consumer insights platform for testing advertising, product concepts and brand health

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Obsidian has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Obsidian sync is a paid add-on at $4 per month billed annually rather than part of the app; Zappi nothing is published: pricing is a platform subscription plus a prepaid credit bundle quoted per customer, so a buyer cannot benchmark the cost against agency research without going through sales.
  • They diverge on capability: Obsidian covers Bidirectional linking, Zappi covers Validated study templates.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Obsidian and Zappi actually diverge.

Attributes where Obsidian and Zappi differ
AttributeObsidianZappi
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidWeb
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Zappi

  • Validated study templates
  • Respondent panel access
  • Normative benchmarks
  • Creative testing
  • Brand health tracking
  • AI analysis over history
  • Unlimited users
  • Exports and integrations

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 Zappi
  • Linking notes into a personal knowledge graphnot Zappi
  • Syncing a vault across devices with end-to-end encryption on the paid add-onnot Zappi
  • Publishing a public site from a vaultnot Zappi
  • Extending the editor with community pluginsnot Zappi

Zappi

  • A beverage brand screening thirty flavour concepts before committing to two for consumer testingnot Obsidian
  • A marketing team pre-testing three advertising edits in a day so a media booking deadline can be metnot Obsidian
  • An insights function replacing repeated ad-hoc agency studies with a comparable, accumulating body of test resultsnot Obsidian
  • A brand manager running continuous brand health tracking without negotiating a separate tracker contract each yearnot 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

Zappi

  • Nothing is published: pricing is a platform subscription plus a prepaid credit bundle quoted per customer, so a buyer cannot benchmark the cost against agency research without going through sales.
  • Credits are prepaid against a forecast of the year ahead, which means a team that overestimates research volume ends the year having paid for studies it never ran.
  • The template model that makes studies fast also constrains them; a research question that does not fit a validated instrument either gets forced into one or goes to an agency anyway.
  • Normative benchmarks are strongest in fast-moving consumer goods categories where Zappi has depth, and thinner in business-to-business, financial services and niche categories, where the comparison numbers mean less.
  • Because respondents come from Zappi-sourced panels, sample composition is a vendor decision rather than yours, and any team that needs a bespoke recruitment specification or a low-incidence audience will find the automated route unsuitable.

Pricing, plan by plan

Obsidian

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

Zappi

On request
  • Premium$undefined/year
    • Platform subscription with unlimited users
    • Access to all research solutions
    • Credit bundle scoped to annual research volume
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Platform subscription with unlimited users
    • Multi-market and global organisation controls
    • Connected insights across markets and brands

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 Zappi if

  • You need validated study templates.
  • You also want respondent panel access.
Zappi review

Questions people ask

Is Obsidian or Zappi better?
Neither clearly leads. Obsidian starts at Free and Zappi at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Obsidian or Zappi?
Obsidian has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Obsidian and On request for Zappi.
Does Obsidian or Zappi run on more platforms?
Obsidian runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Zappi runs on Web.
Can I use Obsidian for free?
Yes. Obsidian has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zappi starts at On request.
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 Zappi is typically brought in for.
What can Obsidian do that Zappi cannot?
Obsidian covers Bidirectional linking, Graph view visualization, Markdown support, Local file storage. Zappi covers Validated study templates, Respondent panel access, Normative benchmarks, Creative testing.

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
Zappi: Does Zappi publish prices?

No. It publishes the structure, a platform subscription plus credits plus optional services, but not the numbers.

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
Zappi: How fast do results come back?

Automated tests typically return within hours to a day, which is the main reason teams choose it over a commissioned study.

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
Zappi: Do we still need an agency?

For standard concept, creative and brand tests, usually not. For bespoke methodologies and hard-to-reach audiences, yes.

Zappi: Is there a per-seat charge?

No. Both published tiers include unlimited users; the variable cost is research credits.

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