mdnest vs Obsidian vs SilverBullet
All three keep your notes as plain Markdown files, so none of them locks you in. They differ in where those files live, how you reach them from other devices, and whether other people can work in them with you. This page compares them honestly, including where the others are the better pick.
Facts checked in September 2026 against each project's own site and docs (sources at the bottom). Tell us on GitHub if something has changed.
The short version
- Obsidian is a desktop and mobile app for your own vault. It is the best fit if you work mostly on one or two devices, want to be fully offline, and value its huge plugin ecosystem. Reaching your notes from other devices means Obsidian Sync (paid), or a sync tool you set up yourself.
- SilverBullet is a self-hosted notes server you open in the browser, with Lua scripting and queries built into the notes themselves. It is the best fit if you want a programmable personal wiki.
- mdnest is a self-hosted notes server too. It is built around reaching the same
.mdfiles from everywhere: the browser (desktop or phone), the terminal, a REST API, and AI agents over MCP. It adds live collaboration, SSO and a task board without plugins. It is the best fit if you want one private copy of your notes that you, your team and your AI tools all work in.
Side by side
| mdnest | Obsidian | SilverBullet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | MIT, open source | Proprietary, free to use | MIT, open source |
| Notes stored as | Plain .md files in your folders |
Plain .md files in a local vault |
Plain .md files in a space |
| Runs as | Self-hosted server (Docker) | Desktop and mobile app | Self-hosted server (binary or Docker) |
| Open from any browser | Yes | No (Publish shares a read-only site) | Yes |
| Phone | Mobile browser, add to home screen | Native iOS and Android apps | Mobile browser, installable web app |
| Getting notes onto other devices | Nothing to sync: one server, one copy | Obsidian Sync ($4–5 per user per month) or your own sync | Nothing to sync: one server |
| Works fully offline | No, the server must be reachable | Yes | Not checked |
| Live co-editing (see others typing) | Yes, with cursors and inline comments | No | Not documented |
| Multiple users and permissions | Yes: roles and per-namespace grants | No (single-user app) | Yes: accounts with per-space read/write |
| SSO | OIDC (Google Workspace, Okta, Entra, Keycloak, Auth0) | No | OIDC (Google Workspace, Pocket ID and others) |
| AI agents over MCP | Built-in MCP server | Community plugins only | Community projects only |
| Command line and REST API | Official CLI and REST API | No official server API | Not checked |
| Mermaid diagrams | Built in | Built in | Built in |
| Excalidraw drawings | Built in (.excalidraw.md files) |
Community plugin | Plug |
| Kanban board | Built in, from your - [ ] checkboxes |
Community plugin | Community plug (tasks built in) |
| Extending it | REST API, CLI, MCP | 1,000+ community plugins | Plugs and Space Lua scripting |
| Price | Free | App free; Sync and Publish paid | Free |
When Obsidian is the better choice
Pick Obsidian if you mostly write on one laptop, want everything to work on a plane, or depend on a specific community plugin. Its native apps are fast and polished, and its plugin ecosystem is far larger than anything else here.
What mdnest changes is reach. mdnest started because its author replaced Obsidian: the notes were on the laptop, and the phone could not get to them without a sync subscription or a fragile sync setup. With mdnest the notes stay on your own machine, and every device opens that one copy in a browser. On a private network like Tailscale this takes about ten minutes to set up and nothing is exposed to the internet.
You do not have to choose once and for all. mdnest works on a plain folder, so you can point it at an existing Obsidian vault and keep using Obsidian on the same files.
When SilverBullet is the better choice
Pick SilverBullet if you want your notes to compute: queries over your pages, templates, and Space Lua scripts that live next to the text. It is a thoughtful, programmable personal wiki with a lean server.
mdnest is aimed somewhere else: sharing and reaching notes rather than scripting them. It has live co-editing with inline comments, SSO for a team, a kanban board and drawings with no plugins, and an official CLI, REST API and MCP server. With those, scripts and AI agents such as Claude or Cursor read and write the same files you do.
When mdnest is the better choice
- You want your notes on every device, including your phone, without paying for sync or trusting a third-party cloud.
- You work with AI agents. The built-in MCP server lets Claude, Cursor and others search, read and write your
.mdfiles, with your permissions. - You want to share a knowledge base with a team: live editing, SSO, roles, and per-namespace access. The notes still stay plain files on your server.
- You live in the terminal. The CLI reads and writes notes on several servers at once.
Ready to try it? The Quick Start gets mdnest running in about three minutes.
Sources
Checked September 2026.
- Obsidian pricing (app free for personal and commercial use; Sync and Publish prices): obsidian.md/pricing
- Obsidian data storage: obsidian.md/help/data-storage
- Obsidian Sync: obsidian.md/sync
- Obsidian plugins: obsidian.md/plugins
- SilverBullet repository and license: github.com/silverbulletmd/silverbullet
- SilverBullet installation: docs.silverbullet.md/Install
- SilverBullet authentication, accounts and OIDC: docs.silverbullet.md/Authentication
- SilverBullet Plugs and Space Lua: silverbullet.md/Plugs, silverbullet.md/Lua