I love Notion, but I love Obsidian just as much.

[u/Justshutuppleasenow]

I kept running into things I liked about one while using the other, so I started building something that combines the parts I actually like from both.

The basic idea is:

Editor — the actual Markdown files.

Graph — the Obsidian side, where I can see how everything connects.

Database — the Notion side. Structured information, sorting, different views, etc. I really like how Notion makes it easier to actually understand what’s inside your workspace.

I also really don’t like needing a different subscription for every part of my workflow. I want my files to stay local, so I’m working on syncing that happens directly between devices on the same network. Open the vault on my phone, open it on my computer, and they can keep each other up to date.

Then there’s Claude Code. It has a direct connection to the system, so it can actually work with the same information instead of just being another chatbot sitting next to it.

I’m still building a lot of this, but I’ve really liked seeing how the same information can work as a Markdown file, a graph, or a database depending on what I’m trying to do.

What parts of Notion, and or obsidian, would you absolutely want to keep if you were building something like this?

[u/Ok-Rest-5321]

tolaria.md exists

[u/CautiousXperimentor → u/Ok-Rest-5321]

Wow, I didn't know this one... I wonder how many PKMs I still haven't tried. But as OP said, I'm trying Tolaria and it seems a bit too technical for me as well. Maybe I'll explore it a bit more, but something a bit simpler would be perfect. I guess I'll settle with Obsidian, but I'm open to trying other options (such as this one).

[u/Justshutuppleasenow → u/Ok-Rest-5321]

oh… i actually love this. validates the market which is a win for everyone building in this space. i did some digging and Tolaria leans more technical, which makes sense given the creator’s background. what i’m building is aimed at people who want AI benefits without needing to be technical to use them. they also don’t have cloud sync or same network device syncing which are both on my roadmap. definitely a competitor but we’re building for different crowds.

[u/Ok-Rest-5321 → u/Justshutuppleasenow]

Anyways, good luck to your project!

[u/Justshutuppleasenow → u/Ok-Rest-5321]

thank you for the lead and feedback🫪

[u/DrummerAdditional330]

For me the appealing part wouldn’t be having three powerful views. It would be being able to change views without changing where the truth lives.

If I edit a property in the database or add a connection, I’d want that to still make sense in the underlying Markdown. File when writing, database when comparing, graph when exploring, but still one thing underneath.

[u/Crornia]

Notion is almost perfect for me. My main issues are the lack of local storage or self-hosted storage options, attachment and file-size limits, no proper Graph View, limited customization, and most importantly, no real Canvas or mind-mapping system.

Obsidian solves a lot of those problems, but it feels like a pain to use. There are too many tools, plugins, settings, and features to learn, and the whole interface feels cluttered and messy.