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Is Obsidian really that much better vs Bear? Should I switch?
I'm a compulsive note-taker - first started taking notes in @Evernote circa 2011, and switched to @Bear around 2016 when Evernote got too slow (time-to-note and time-to-retrieve got so slow that I found myself taking 5x fewer notes... it felt like my augmented brain was getting dumber).
Since then I've used Bear, and while it's generally nice to use and fast, I've got two main gripes:
1) It's too slow to take notes on desktop (I'd love keyboard shortcuts to open it from anywhere) - I often default to @Sublime because it's so fast to open (yeah, I'm still using @Quicksilver as a launcher... I'm a dinosaur) and I love the editor / know lots of keyboard shortcuts. I write in markdown then use a Sublime-to-Bear plugin to create a new Bear note, which is annoying.
2) The backlinking feature is terrible - it's so buried that I find myself creating backlinks by hand right at the top of notes. This means it's hard to create a useful hierarchy.
There are some other gripes, like the lack of version backups (I accidentally deleted a really critical note and there was no recourse), but generally, I like everything else.
I've heard lots of people talk about @Obsidian, but I've been reluctant to explore it because it seems non-trivial to set up syncing, and I'm dreading making the transition (I never transitioned my Evernote notes due to lots of rich media - audio notes... so my augmented memory is kinda split between pre-2016 and post-2016).
So... should I switch? Is there anything else I should consider?
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Obsidian is great but switching is a pain - you'd need to allocate time to do it and to figure out what plugins to use.
but then it's a journey. here's how I made my transition:
1. tested Obsidian as a secondary note-taking tool (in parallel with Notes) for 3 to 4 weeks
I had several non-negotiables that I wanted to get a feel for in Obsidian before deciding whether to switch completely
=> Obsidian passed my tests with flying colours
2. moved to Obsidian as the primary note-taking tool
accumulated 200 - 400 notes and then dove deep into how to organise them, what plugins to use etc.
I work on many workstreams simultaneously so it was important for me to get some data in so that I could build a system that reflected how I work + the tool's capabilities (rather than create something rigid at the beginning only to have to rebuild it later. a big fan of Gall's Law, me).
3. set up my Obs system that is both a note-taking and task tracking tool that allows me to work, basically, on everything in one place
I migrate chunks of notes from Notes to Obs as and when I need to make progress on something that is housed in both tools.
decided not to do a whole sale move from Notes to Obs. feels like a time-sink that I don't see any major benefits of doing in one go
good luck with your decision-making, @rajiv_ayyangar !
I actually went through a similar journey - I used to be a heavy Evernote/Notion user before switching to a more markdown-based approach. Your pain points with @Bear (especially the backlinking and speed issues) really resonate with what many users experience before switching to @Obsidian .
Here's why I think you should make the switch:
Regarding your speed concerns:
- Obsidian is lightning-fast and since you're already comfortable with Markdown and Sublime, you'll feel right at home
- You can set up global keyboard shortcuts (similar to your Quicksilver workflow) to open Obsidian from anywhere
- No more need for that Sublime-to-Bear plugin workaround you're currently using
About the backlinking issues:
- This is where Obsidian truly shines - backlinking is a core feature, not an afterthought
- There's even a graph view that visually maps all your note connections
Regarding your syncing concerns:
Instead of setting everything up from scratch, I'd recommend looking into Obsibrain.
It comes with lot of cool features to start with.
For syncing, you have several options:
- Obsidian Sync ($8/month) if you want the official solution
- iCloud/Dropbox for free syncing
- Git if you want version control (which would solve your backup concerns)
I think given your technical background (using Sublime, markdown, etc.), you'll actually find Obsidian to be a breath of fresh air.
Product Hunt
I'm an @Obsidian guy and I refer to it as Sublime Text for notes. It's as quick and lightweight as Sublime is as an IDE. The complexity can feel daunting but I tend to ignore it unless I really want something (task lists, etc). They also have an importer to move content from Bear.