Listspace vs Obsidian

Listspace is one board for a shared project that every AI you use reads and keeps up to date, with rules for what each AI may change and room for the people you work with. Obsidian keeps your notes as plain Markdown files on your own devices: fast, free, and yours, with thousands of plugins. For private notes and personal knowledge, Obsidian is excellent, and the two work well together.

Checked October 2026. What it says about Obsidian is true at the time of writing, from the maker's own pages, listed at the end.

Who each is best for

Choose Listspace if

You use more than one AI, also in a browser or on your phone, and each should reach the same project.
You want to decide, per board, how much your AI may change on its own.
Clients or colleagues work on the project with you, each with the AI they prefer.
Decisions should stay on the board, and only count once a person confirms them.
You want your boards and files stored in the EU, on every plan, Free included.

Choose Obsidian if

Your notes should be plain files on your own devices, with nothing locked in.
You link ideas together and build up personal knowledge over years.
You want full apps on your phone that work like the desktop app.
You like to shape your tools with plugins and themes.

Side by side

Each row says which tool is stronger, Obsidian included.

Listspace compared with Obsidian
	Listspace	Obsidian
Which AI can reach itListspace is stronger here	Claude (every plan, Free included), ChatGPT (Plus or higher), Gemini, Grok, Lovable, Bolt, Claude Code and Codex connect by signing in. Cursor and other AI apps can connect with a personal token. The same board works in the Claude app on your phone.	Obsidian's own pages name no AI connector. An AI on the same computer, such as Claude Code or Cursor, can open the vault folder, and community plugins connect AI apps on that computer. The Obsidian CLI controls the app while it runs, and Sync's headless client, in beta, keeps a copy of a vault for automated work. An AI in a browser or on your phone needs a setup of your own.
What your AI may changeListspace is stronger here	You pick an agent access level from Read only to Full, for your account and for each board. What the level does not allow waits in the board's Inbox until you accept or reject it. You can undo an agent's change from History. No agent can delete your items, lists, boards, comments or files.	Obsidian sets no rules for AI. An AI that can open the vault folder can change any note in it, and what a plugin allows depends on that plugin.
DecisionsListspace is stronger here	Mark what was decided, such as a price or a launch date. Only a person confirms a decision, and every AI you connect follows the confirmed ones. Change your mind and the old decision stays on the board, marked Replaced. The new one carries your reason.	Notes hold what you wrote down. Which decision still holds is yours to mark, for example with a property or a tag.
Who changed whatListspace is stronger here	Every item has a History of what changed, when, and who made the change: you, a guest or which AI.	File recovery keeps snapshots of each note on your device, for 7 days by default, and Sync keeps version history, so you can see how a note changed and go back.
Working with othersListspace is stronger here	Invite a guest to a board with no paid seat: 1 per board on Free to view or comment, up to 5 on Pro with any role. Each person connects the AI they prefer.	A shared vault through Sync, for up to 20 people. Every collaborator needs a Sync subscription and has the same permissions as the owner, except inviting others. Multiplayer, to edit notes together, is on the roadmap.
Moving notes overAbout even	Import from Obsidian: upload a zip of your vault, or one note. Each top-level folder becomes a list, every note a document, and its tasks become items. Kanban plugin boards come with their lists and due dates. Nothing in your vault is changed.	Nothing to move. Your notes stay where they are.
What it isObsidian is stronger here	Boards with lists and items, with due dates, reminders and done items built in. An item can hold a document with saved versions.	Notes as Markdown files in a folder, linked to each other. Bases shows notes as a table, cards, a list or a Kanban board, and Canvas lays ideas out on an open space. Thousands of community plugins add more.
Where your notes liveObsidian is stronger here	On our server in the EU, files in Cloudflare R2 in the EU. Download one board or all your boards as Markdown, CSV or JSON, any time.	On your own devices, as plain files in open formats, so nothing is locked in. With Sync, an encrypted copy is on Obsidian's servers, in a region you choose, Europe included.
On your phoneObsidian is stronger here	Open your boards on your phone, read only, in a layout made for a small screen. On Android, Listspace can also sit in the share menu, so a page, text, photos or a PDF you share becomes an item. iPhone does not allow that for web apps. You make other changes on a computer, a tablet or through your AI. A phone version that does more is on the roadmap.	Free apps for iPhone and Android with the core features of the desktop app, plugins included.
PriceObsidian is stronger here	Free to start. Pro is €7.99 a month, or €6.99 a month paid yearly, VAT included. There is no AI fee: it uses the AI you already have.	Free for any purpose, work included, with no account needed. Sync is $4 per user a month paid yearly, or $5 monthly. Sync Plus, with more storage and 10 vaults, is $8 paid yearly or $10 monthly. Publish is $8 per site a month paid yearly.

Which AI can reach it

Listspace is stronger here

Listspace: Claude (every plan, Free included), ChatGPT (Plus or higher), Gemini, Grok, Lovable, Bolt, Claude Code and Codex connect by signing in. Cursor and other AI apps can connect with a personal token. The same board works in the Claude app on your phone.
Obsidian: Obsidian's own pages name no AI connector. An AI on the same computer, such as Claude Code or Cursor, can open the vault folder, and community plugins connect AI apps on that computer. The Obsidian CLI controls the app while it runs, and Sync's headless client, in beta, keeps a copy of a vault for automated work. An AI in a browser or on your phone needs a setup of your own.

What your AI may change

Listspace is stronger here

Listspace: You pick an agent access level from Read only to Full, for your account and for each board. What the level does not allow waits in the board's Inbox until you accept or reject it. You can undo an agent's change from History. No agent can delete your items, lists, boards, comments or files.
Obsidian: Obsidian sets no rules for AI. An AI that can open the vault folder can change any note in it, and what a plugin allows depends on that plugin.

Decisions

Listspace is stronger here

Listspace: Mark what was decided, such as a price or a launch date. Only a person confirms a decision, and every AI you connect follows the confirmed ones. Change your mind and the old decision stays on the board, marked Replaced. The new one carries your reason.
Obsidian: Notes hold what you wrote down. Which decision still holds is yours to mark, for example with a property or a tag.

Who changed what

Listspace is stronger here

Listspace: Every item has a History of what changed, when, and who made the change: you, a guest or which AI.
Obsidian: File recovery keeps snapshots of each note on your device, for 7 days by default, and Sync keeps version history, so you can see how a note changed and go back.

Working with others

Listspace is stronger here

Listspace: Invite a guest to a board with no paid seat: 1 per board on Free to view or comment, up to 5 on Pro with any role. Each person connects the AI they prefer.
Obsidian: A shared vault through Sync, for up to 20 people. Every collaborator needs a Sync subscription and has the same permissions as the owner, except inviting others. Multiplayer, to edit notes together, is on the roadmap.

Moving notes over

About even

Listspace: Import from Obsidian: upload a zip of your vault, or one note. Each top-level folder becomes a list, every note a document, and its tasks become items. Kanban plugin boards come with their lists and due dates. Nothing in your vault is changed.
Obsidian: Nothing to move. Your notes stay where they are.

What it is

Obsidian is stronger here

Listspace: Boards with lists and items, with due dates, reminders and done items built in. An item can hold a document with saved versions.
Obsidian: Notes as Markdown files in a folder, linked to each other. Bases shows notes as a table, cards, a list or a Kanban board, and Canvas lays ideas out on an open space. Thousands of community plugins add more.

Where your notes live

Obsidian is stronger here

Listspace: On our server in the EU, files in Cloudflare R2 in the EU. Download one board or all your boards as Markdown, CSV or JSON, any time.
Obsidian: On your own devices, as plain files in open formats, so nothing is locked in. With Sync, an encrypted copy is on Obsidian's servers, in a region you choose, Europe included.

On your phone

Obsidian is stronger here

Listspace: Open your boards on your phone, read only, in a layout made for a small screen. On Android, Listspace can also sit in the share menu, so a page, text, photos or a PDF you share becomes an item. iPhone does not allow that for web apps. You make other changes on a computer, a tablet or through your AI. A phone version that does more is on the roadmap.
Obsidian: Free apps for iPhone and Android with the core features of the desktop app, plugins included.

Price

Obsidian is stronger here

Listspace: Free to start. Pro is €7.99 a month, or €6.99 a month paid yearly, VAT included. There is no AI fee: it uses the AI you already have.
Obsidian: Free for any purpose, work included, with no account needed. Sync is $4 per user a month paid yearly, or $5 monthly. Sync Plus, with more storage and 10 vaults, is $8 paid yearly or $10 monthly. Publish is $8 per site a month paid yearly.

Working with AI, in plain words

Many people who work with AI keep their notes in an Obsidian vault and point their AI at the folder. For one person on one computer that works well: Claude Code or Cursor opens the folder and reads plain Markdown, with nothing to connect.

It gets harder once the project is shared. ChatGPT in a browser or Claude on your phone cannot open a folder on your computer. Nothing in the vault says what an AI may change, which AI changed a note, or which decision still holds.

Listspace starts from the AI you already use. Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex or Cursor connect through Listspace's MCP server, which asks them to read the board when a chat starts, keep it up to date while you work, and leave a short summary at the end, so the next chat in any of those apps picks up from there.

You decide how far that goes. An agent access level per board, from Read only to Full, sets what an agent changes on its own, and everything else waits in the board's Inbox for you to accept or reject. Decisions, like a price or a launch date, only count once a person confirms them, and every AI you connect follows the confirmed ones.

They work well together. Keep Obsidian for your own notes and knowledge, and use Listspace for the shared project that you, your AI and the people you work with keep up to date. The Obsidian import brings a project folder from your vault over in one go.

Try it with your own AI

Try Listspace for the projects you share. Import a project folder from your vault, connect the AI you use, and keep Obsidian for your own notes.

Listspace is free to start. Connect Claude or ChatGPT, and ask it to make a board for what you are working on.

Join the waitlist Connect Claude or ChatGPT

See all comparisons, the use cases and the plans and pricing.

Sources

Obsidian changes, and so does Listspace. If something here is out of date, write to hello@listspace.app.

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