Joplin as a markdown note taking app was my gateway drug to Obsidian. I used to sync Joplin to just my Dropbox, and it worked well for free on all my devices.

Joplin as a markdown note taking app was my gateway drug to Obsidian. I used to sync Joplin to just my Dropbox, and it worked well for free on all my devices. Once (and only once) I had a conflict, which from then on I was nervous to get again And I never really liked how top level folders are notes as well, somehow I found that strange. Obsidian saves markdown files, I use git so I can solve merge conflicts myself, and see the version history, albeit at the price of having to save and sync manually (Ctrl+Shift+C for commit, Ctrl+Shift+P to push, cause I'd rather do that than have it autopush at intervals). I like the UI more too, only I haven't set up Obsidian on my phone yet, but it's possible theoretically. Tldr: Setup is more hassle, but I migrated my notes (manually) and like the UI, layout, search and git integration better. Joplin was definitely easier to get running for free, and I can easily recommend it to anyone. It's just where I am now, exploring and liking something new, seeing if it sticks.