Is Strata an Obsidian alternative for teams?

Yes. Strata offers the same plain-Markdown ownership philosophy with built-in real-time collaboration, comments, tracked suggestions, publishing, and team permissions, which Obsidian only approximates through third-party plugins.

Can I keep my Markdown files on disk with Strata?

Yes. The strata link CLI live-syncs a Space to a local folder of ordinary Markdown files, two-way. Local edits merge into the shared CRDT document in real time, and web or agent edits write back to your disk.

Does Obsidian support real-time collaboration?

Not natively. Real-time editing in Obsidian requires third-party community plugins such as Relay or Peerdraft, and there is no built-in commenting, review, or permission model.

Can I import my Obsidian vault into Strata?

Yes. Obsidian vaults are plain Markdown, which Strata imports natively. Upload files directly or link a folder with the strata link CLI to bring a vault into a shared Space.

How does Strata pricing compare to Obsidian?

Obsidian's app is free, with Sync from $4 per user per month and Publish at $8 per site per month as add-ons. Strata has a free plan for up to 5 members, and Pro at $12 per seat per month (or $10 annual) includes sync, publishing, AI credits, and audit logs in one plan.

Strata vs. Obsidian

Local Markdown, now multiplayer

Obsidian perfected the personal Markdown vault. Strata is the Obsidian alternative for teams, with the same plain-text ownership: real-time collaboration, comments and suggestions, one-click publishing, and a native MCP server for AI agents, with your documents live-synced to disk as ordinary Markdown files.

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At a glance

Why teams pick Strata

Real-time collaboration is built in. Every document is multiplayer by default, with presence, comments, and tracked suggestions.
AI agents connect through a native MCP server and a built-in assistant with credits on every plan.
Team features exist: workspaces, granular permissions, SSO, SCIM, and audit logs.
You still get local files. The strata link CLI live-syncs a Space to plain Markdown on disk, two-way.

Where Obsidian shines

Fully offline-first and local-only, free for personal and commercial use.
Around 5,500 community plugins and deep customization.
Canvas whiteboarding and a graph-first personal knowledge workflow.
End-to-end encrypted sync and a local AI story via Ollama plugins.

Feature comparison

Feature-by-feature comparison of Strata and Obsidian
Feature	Strata	Obsidian
Editing and collaboration
Plain Markdown files on disk	YesLive two-way sync through the strata link CLI	YesNative storage format
Real-time collaboration	YesAlways-on CRDT collaboration on every document	NoThird-party plugins only, such as Relay and Peerdraft
Comments and threads	YesAnchored threads shared by people and AI agents	NoInvisible %%comment%% syntax; plugins for the rest
Suggest and review changes	YesPropose, accept, or reject tracked suggestions	No
Version history	YesComplete history on every plan	PartialRequires paid Sync: 1 month on Standard, 12 months on Plus
Canvas whiteboard	No	YesCore plugin with the open JSON Canvas format
Knowledge graph view	YesDocument graph built from links between documents	YesLocal and global graph views
Database views over notes	No	YesBases core plugin: tables, cards, lists, and maps
AI and agents
Native MCP server	YesRead, edit, search, comment, suggest, and publish over MCP with OAuth 2.1	PartialCommunity plugins and a REST API; no official MCP server
Built-in AI assistant	YesAssistant with Claude models and credits on every plan	NoCommunity plugins such as Copilot and Smart Connections
Local AI models	No	YesOllama and local embeddings through plugins
Custom and scheduled agents	YesDocument-first agents with schedules and connectors	No
Hybrid semantic search	YesKeyword plus semantic retrieval on all plans	PartialThrough the Smart Connections plugin
Sharing and teams
Granular sharing and permissions	YesPer-document and per-Space roles	NoVault access is all-or-nothing
Team workspaces	YesShared workspaces with folders and Spaces	No
Publish to the web	YesIncluded: public links with PDF download and clone	PartialObsidian Publish add-on at $8 per site per month
Multi-device sync included	YesCloud-native on every plan	PartialObsidian Sync from $4 per user per month, or DIY with iCloud, git, or Syncthing
Security and enterprise
SAML and OIDC SSO	YesEnterprise plan	No
SCIM provisioning	YesEnterprise plan	No
Audit logs	YesIncluded from the Pro plan	No
SOC 2	YesSOC 2 Type 1	NoIndependent audits by Cure53 and Trail of Bits instead
End-to-end encrypted sync	No	YesAES-256 end-to-end encryption in Obsidian Sync
Plans and pricing
Free for individuals	YesFree plan with 5 members, AI credits, and hybrid search	YesThe app is free, including commercial use
One plan for team collaboration	YesPro at $12 per seat per month includes collaboration, publishing, and AI	PartialSync and Publish are separate add-ons; multi-user editing needs third-party plugins

Own your files and collaborate

The reason people love Obsidian is that notes are plain Markdown files on disk, usable in any editor and versionable with git. Strata keeps that property while making the documents multiplayer. The strata link CLI live-syncs a Space to an ordinary folder: edit locally in your favorite tools and changes merge into the shared document in real time, while teammates and agents edit the same document from the web. No proprietary format, no export step.

Comments, suggestions, and review built in

Obsidian is single-player by design. Collaboration means bolting on third-party plugins for shared editing, and there is no native commenting or review surface. Strata ships anchored comment threads, tracked suggestions with accept and reject, presence, and complete version history on every plan, so a team can draft, review, and publish without leaving the document.

AI agents on the team

Obsidian's AI story lives in community plugins, and its local-model support through Ollama is genuinely good for personal use. Strata treats AI as a team member: a native MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP client search your knowledge base with hybrid semantic retrieval, edit documents, leave comments, and file suggestions for review, governed by the same permissions as people. Scheduled document-first agents keep recurring work moving without a human kicking it off.

When Obsidian is the right choice

If you want a personal, fully offline vault with end-to-end encrypted sync, thousands of plugins, and zero dependence on a vendor, Obsidian is excellent and its core app is free. Strata is the better fit the moment more than one person, or one agent, needs to work in the same documents: collaboration, review, publishing, and governance are built in rather than assembled from plugins.

Frequently asked questions

Is Strata an Obsidian alternative for teams?: Yes. Strata offers the same plain-Markdown ownership philosophy with built-in real-time collaboration, comments, tracked suggestions, publishing, and team permissions, which Obsidian only approximates through third-party plugins.
Can I keep my Markdown files on disk with Strata?: Yes. The strata link CLI live-syncs a Space to a local folder of ordinary Markdown files, two-way. Local edits merge into the shared CRDT document in real time, and web or agent edits write back to your disk.
Does Obsidian support real-time collaboration?: Not natively. Real-time editing in Obsidian requires third-party community plugins such as Relay or Peerdraft, and there is no built-in commenting, review, or permission model.
Can I import my Obsidian vault into Strata?: Yes. Obsidian vaults are plain Markdown, which Strata imports natively. Upload files directly or link a folder with the strata link CLI to bring a vault into a shared Space.
How does Strata pricing compare to Obsidian?: Obsidian's app is free, with Sync from $4 per user per month and Publish at $8 per site per month as add-ons. Strata has a free plan for up to 5 members, and Pro at $12 per seat per month (or $10 annual) includes sync, publishing, AI credits, and audit logs in one plan.

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Feature and pricing information reflects publicly available sources as of July 2026 and may have changed. Please verify details with each vendor. Obsidian is a trademark of Dynalist Inc. Strata is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dynalist Inc.