Prior and Obsidian compared
Prior and Obsidian compared on notes, tasks, offline use, calendar planning, databases, sync, AI and price, using Obsidian's own pages read on 5 November 2026.
This page sets Prior next to Obsidian as of the date above. Everything about Obsidian comes from Obsidian's own site and help pages, listed under Sources. Prices change, so check them before you decide.
Who each one suits
Obsidian suits you if your notes are the centre of your work and you want them as plain Markdown files in a folder you own. Its pages describe a local vault, thousands of community plugins, a graph, canvases and Bases, apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and an end-to-end encrypted Sync you pay for separately.
Prior suits you if tasks and time come first: tasks with a priority and a due date, habits, reminders, a calendar, and a planner that places tasks in the free hours of your day, with Markdown notes in the same app. It has no iOS app yet. On an iPhone or iPad you open it in the browser.
Side by side
| Prior | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android. No iOS app yet. | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. |
| Offline | Works from a copy on your device and syncs when you are back online. | Notes are stored on your device, so you can reach them offline. |
| Where notes live | In the app, on your device, synced through your account. A note exports as one Markdown file. | Markdown text files in a vault, which is a folder on your file system. Other editors can open them. |
| Tasks | Due date and time, priority P1 to P4, reminder, checklist, sub-tasks, dependencies. | Not among the core plugins. The community Tasks plugin, shown on its homepage, tracks tasks across a vault. |
| Recurring tasks | Every N days, weeks, months or years, on chosen weekdays, from the due date or the completion date. | Not found in the core documentation we read. |
| Calendar | Day, week, month and agenda views. Google Calendar, ICS files and calendar URLs show read-only. | The Daily notes core plugin creates notes based on the current date. No events calendar found among the core plugins. |
| Time blocking | Automatic planner on Pro: places tasks in free working hours, and you lock a block to fix it. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Boards | Kanban board for any project, on Free. | Bases has a Kanban layout (version 1.14). Canvas lays out notes on an infinite space. |
| Notes | Markdown notes with tables, charts, links, backlinks and tags. Project members edit shared notes live. | Backlinks, graph view, outline, templates, properties, tags view, Canvas and more core plugins. |
| Databases | None: tasks, projects and habits have fixed fields. | Bases: table, cards, list, Kanban and map layouts over your notes' properties, stored in your Markdown files. |
| Collaboration | Share a project as editor or viewer, assign tasks, comment with mentions. Free: 2 people and 3 shared projects. Pro: 10 people per project. | Sync keeps your devices in step with end-to-end encryption. The Sync page mentions shared vaults without saying which plan has them. |
| AI | Prior AI assistant on Pro and above. On Free, your own OpenRouter key. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Integrations | MCP server for AI assistants on every plan. Calendar imports. | Thousands of community plugins, an Importer plugin, a web clipper and a command-line page on its homepage. |
| Price, 5 Nov 2026 | Free €0. Pro €8 a month or €72 a year. Team €10 per seat a month or €96 a year. 14-day trial on a first subscription. No VAT added. | In US dollars. The app is free "without limits". Sync Standard $4 a month billed annually ($5 monthly); Sync Plus $8 ($10). Publish $8 ($10) per site. A commercial license, $50 per user per year, is encouraged but not required. |
Where Obsidian goes further
- Files you own. Your notes are plain Markdown in a folder, readable by any other editor. Prior keeps notes in its own store and exports them one note at a time.
- Plugins and themes. Thousands from the community. Prior has none.
- Graph, Canvas and Bases. Prior has backlinks and a local graph for a note, with fixed fields instead of Bases.
- Cost. The app is free without limits, and a paid license is optional even for work.
- An iOS app. Obsidian lists iOS as well as Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. Prior has no iOS app yet.
- Sync and publishing. End-to-end encrypted Sync and Publish, sold separately.
What Prior does differently
Prior starts from tasks and time. A task's priority and due date place it in the Eisenhower matrix, and the planner turns open tasks into blocks around your calendar events. Reminders, habits, flashcards and a Focus timer are built in, so you do not assemble them from plugins. Several people can work in a shared project: assign tasks, comment with mentions, and edit its notes together live. Any AI assistant can read and edit your tasks and notes through Prior's MCP server, on every plan.
Switching from Obsidian
Prior does not import a vault. Open each note you want, copy its Markdown and paste it into a new Prior note. Prior notes understand [[Note title]] links and #tags. Plugin syntax, such as Dataview queries, is not run, and images and videos are added again with the attach button.
For tasks, copy the checkbox lines from your notes and paste them in Settings → Import, in the paste box: Prior reads bullets, [ ] and [x], indentation for sub-tasks, # Heading for projects, and phrases such as tomorrow p1. Check the dates in the preview, because dates written by a plugin may not be read. Nothing is saved until you confirm. The steps are in Import your data.
Sources
Read on 5 November 2026.