Bedrock vs Obsidian: the same vault, free sync, open code
By the Toolbay team · Updated
Obsidian is a free notes app with a paid sync service. Bedrockis a free, open-source notes app that opens the same vaults and has encrypted sync built in at no cost (it switches on soon). If you already live in Obsidian, the honest question is not “which app is better” but “do I want to pay $4-5a month for sync, and do I want my notes app to be open source”.
Side by side
| Feature | Bedrock | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| App price | Free | Free (optional $50 commercial license) |
| Sync between computers | Built in, free, end-to-end encrypted; switching on soon | $4/mo yearly, $5/mo monthly |
| Vault format | Markdown files + .obsidian folder | Markdown files + .obsidian folder |
| Themes, snippets, community plugins | Yes (beta) | Yes |
| Graph view, canvas, backlinks, properties | Yes | Yes |
| AI agents can read and edit notes | Built in: local MCP server, REST API and CLI | Through community plugins |
| First-run setup | Guide with prompts for Claude to build your wiki | Welcome vault |
| Phones | Not yet | iPhone, Android |
| Publish to the web | No | Obsidian Publish (paid) |
| Source code | Public, MIT | Closed |
| Track record | New (October 2026) | Years, large community |
Obsidian's pricing page describes the commercial license as optional; it is not required for work use.
The biggest difference: your AI can work in your notes
Bedrock ships an agent connection. In Settings › Connect an AI agent, one click connects Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Cursor. Your agent can then search, read, create and edit notes, follow backlinks, find notes by property and append to today's daily note. It only works on your own computer, edits show up live, sync, and keep version history. Deletes go to the vault's .trash folder, never permanently.
Bedrock 0.1.1's setup guide goes one step further: it gives you a prompt, with your vault's real path filled in, that has Claude build a personal wiki in your vault. Here's how that works.
Pros and cons
Bedrock: good
- Free, end-to-end encrypted sync built in
- Open source (MIT)
- AI agent access built in
- Opens your existing vaults
Bedrock: not so good
- Beta; sync not switched on yet
- No phone apps yet
- No publishing
- Small community so far
Obsidian: good
- Mature and polished
- Phone apps
- Huge plugin and theme community
- Publish and shared vaults
Obsidian: not so good
- Sync is a subscription
- Closed source
- AI access needs plugins
Questions people ask
- Is Bedrock a fork of Obsidian?
- No. Obsidian is closed source, so there is nothing to fork. Bedrock is written from scratch to read the same vault format (Markdown files plus the .obsidian folder) and to run the same community plugins and themes.
- Is Obsidian open source?
- No. Obsidian is free to use but its source code is not public. Bedrock's code is public on GitHub under the MIT license.
- Will my Obsidian plugins work in Bedrock?
- Most of them are meant to: Bedrock implements Obsidian's plugin API, and its README lists themes, snippets and community plugins as supported. It is a beta, so test the plugins you rely on before switching for good.
- Can I go back to Obsidian?
- Any time. Your vault stays ordinary Markdown files, so Obsidian opens it exactly as before.
Related
- Bedrock notes appScreenshots and how to get it
- Free Obsidian Sync alternativeBedrock: encrypted sync for your vault, no subscription
- Free app that opens Obsidian vaultsKeep your Markdown, themes and plugins
- Sync an Obsidian vault for freeSyncthing, Git, cloud folders or Bedrock
- Let Claude build your personal wikiConnect Claude to your notes vault in two minutes
- Free Wispr Flow alternativeToolbay Flow vs Wispr Flow: free, unlimited, offline
- Free Granola alternativeCereal vs Granola: free, unlimited, no bot
Obsidian is a trademark of Dynalist Inc.. Toolbay's tools are independent open-source projects, inspired by Obsidian, and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Dynalist Inc..