Loam vs Obsidian
Loam is in development. Join the waitlist to hear when it opens.
Choose Obsidian if you want your notes as local files on disk, a large plugin ecosystem and a free app. Choose Loam if you want to edit a note with other people in real time, with sync and sharing built in rather than added, and AI agents that reach your notes through a remote MCP server.
| Topic | Loam | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the app | Free on one device | The app is free Source: Obsidian pricing |
| Sync | Included in Loam Pro, US$2.99 a month or US$29.99 a year | Obsidian Sync is $4/user/mo billed annually or $5 monthly Source: Obsidian pricing |
| Collaboration | Real-time co-editing with roles, live cursors, comments and @mentions | Shared vaults through Sync; the pricing page does not claim real-time co-editing Source: Obsidian pricing |
| Publishing | Publish a note as a web page with Pro | Obsidian Publish is $8/site/mo billed annually or $10 monthly Source: Obsidian pricing |
| Agents and automation | A remote MCP server with scopes you approve and a checkpoint before an agent edits | An official CLI since version 1.12 on desktop; no first-party MCP server listed Source: Obsidian changelog, desktop 1.12.4 |
Where Obsidian is ahead
- Notes live as local Markdown files in a folder you control, which Loam does not offer.
- A large plugin ecosystem that lets you shape the app around your workflow.
- The app itself is free, and Sync is sold separately at $4/user/mo billed annually.
- An official command-line tool on desktop.
Moving your notes
An Obsidian vault is a folder of Markdown files. Loam notes are standard Markdown too, but Loam has no import tool yet, so bringing a vault across today means working note by note.
Sync and sharing in one subscription
In Obsidian, sync, sharing a vault and publishing are separate add-ons. In Loam Pro, sync, live editing, version history, agent access and publishing come in one subscription at US$2.99 a month or US$29.99 a year.
Questions
Does Obsidian support real-time co-editing?
Obsidian's pricing page offers shared vaults through Sync and does not claim real-time co-editing. Loam lets editors work in the same note at the same time and see each other's cursors.
Is Loam a local-files app like Obsidian?
No. Loam keeps your notes as standard Markdown and syncs them with Pro, but it does not store them as a folder of files on disk. If files on disk matter most to you, Obsidian fits better.
Loam is an independent product. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Obsidian or its maker. Obsidian is a trademark of its owner. Facts about Obsidian come from its own pages, linked above, and were last checked on 14 October 2026.