DEVONtechnologies (DEVONthink)
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a Mac-based researcher, lawyer, or student drowning in PDFs and willing to invest weeks learning it.
Comparison
DEVONtechnologies (DEVONthink) vs Obsidian
DEVONtechnologies (DEVONthink) and Obsidian both land on Depends.
Obsidian
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you're an individual who wants a powerful, private, local-first knowledge base and will invest time learning it.
| Compare | DEVONtechnologies (DEVONthink) | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Mac-based researchers and academics | Personal knowledge bases |
| Who it's not for | Windows or Android users . no native apps | Teams needing shared, out-of-box collaboration |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁹ | Private, local-first design with third-party audits, but the plugin ecosystem has attracted real malware abuse. |
| Support quality | Very active official forum with frequent updates | No direct support-quality evidence found. |
| Public sentiment | Fans praise deep search and document AI, while others warn the app is overwhelming and the new pricing model stings.² | Users love the flexibility and adaptability but frequently flag the steep learning curve, and some long-time fans are drifting away.15 |
| Biggest gotcha | DT4 shifted to annual update licenses; existing users publicly complained about re-paying⁵ | Malicious plugins have been abused to deploy malware; vet third-party plugins carefully. |
Pick DEVONtechnologies (DEVONthink) when
- Mac-based researchers and academics
- Lawyers with large document archives
- Med students managing PDFs
- Zettelkasten / slip-box builders
When DEVONtechnologies (DEVONthink) is not a fit
- Windows or Android users . no native apps
- Casual note-takers; simpler tools beat the learning curve
- Teams wanting multi-user cloud collaboration
- Anyone wanting a cheap, set-and-forget organizer
Pick Obsidian when
- Personal knowledge bases
- Privacy-focused note takers
- Writers and researchers linking ideas
- Markdown and plugin tinkerers
When Obsidian is not a fit
- Teams needing shared, out-of-box collaboration
- Casual users who just jot quick notes
- Anyone wanting a polished, zero-setup experience
- Orgs expecting hands-on vendor support
Sources
review
- Still overwhelming : r/devonthinkreddit.comreview
review
review
- DT4 - more flexible and modern license model?discourse.devontechnologies.comreview
- Gripes with Devonthink pricingdiscourse.devontechnologies.comreview
- Alternative to DEVONthink for Windows usersdiscourse.devontechnologies.comreview
- DEVONtechnologies | Apps (official)devontechnologies.comofficial
- DEVONthink . Secure & Private (official)devontechnologies.comofficial
- DEVONthink To Go . Pricing (official)devontechnologies.comofficial
news
review
- Sortio: DEVONthink Alternative Comparisongetsortio.comreview
- Obsidian Review . PCMagpcmag.comreview
- Obsidian Reviews . G2g2.comreview
- Obsidian Reviews . Capterracapterra.co.nzreview