Obsidian
Plenty for users Stage 1
Obsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files on your own machine—no proprietary format, no lock-in, no cloud dependency by default. Bootstrapped by two developers (Dynalist), it has never taken VC money. Sync and Publish are optional paid services that keep the company running without plastering ads or tracking users. Commercial licenses are a flat fee. The product earns its stage 1 rating because the value it delivers cannot be revoked by a pricing change—your files are yours regardless.
- Since
- 2020
- Function
- Productivity
- VC-backed
- No
- Public
- No
News signals
More in Productivity
-
Figma
2 Hard to leaveCollaborative design in the browser; files, libraries, and plugins embed teams so deeply that leaving feels like a migration project.
-
Notion
2 Hard to leaveFlexible docs and databases users love; leaving means migrating templates, permissions, and team workflows—sticky by design.
-
Slack
2 Hard to leaveTeam chat that became the default layer for work comms; switching means migrating channels, bots, and ritualized workflows.