COMPARISON
Everything you need, in files you own.
Most note apps make you choose: local files or real features, privacy or AI, a one-time price or another subscription. Glyph gives you all of it in one native Mac app, and your notes stay as plain Markdown you can read, back up, and keep forever.
FEATURE BY FEATURE
How Glyph compares
Measured against the apps people switch from. Pricing and plans change often, so confirm the current details on each product's site before you buy.
| Feature | Glyph | Obsidian | Notion | Apple Notes | Bear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $15 once (early access) | Free + $48/yr sync | Free + $96/yr | Free | $29.99/yr |
| Notes as plain Markdown files you own | Export only | Export only | Export only | ||
| Works fully offline, local-first | Limited | ||||
| Open source | – | – | – | – | |
| Wikilinks & backlinks | Relations | Links only | |||
| Graph view | – | – | – | ||
| Tasks & kanban boards | Checklists | Lists | |||
| AI with your own provider | – | ||||
| Use ChatGPT, Claude, Amp & OpenCode accounts | – | – | – | – | |
| Run AI 100% locally (Ollama, llama.cpp) | – | – | – | ||
| Git version history & sync | – | – | – | ||
| No account required | – | Apple ID | iCloud sync | ||
| Built with | Tauri + Rust | Electron | Electron | Native | Native |
| App size | 30 MB | ~500 MB | ~500 MB | Built in | ~120 MB |
| Platforms | macOS | Mac, Win, Linux, mobile | Web + apps | Apple only | Apple only |
Possible, but only through plugins, paid tiers, or extra setup — not built in.
THE DIFFERENCE
Glyph is the only app here that keeps your notes as local Markdown, gives you graph view and boards out of the box, runs AI on your own machine, versions everything with Git, and asks for a single $15 payment instead of a subscription.
TRY IT ON YOUR NOTES
Open a folder. Keep the Markdown.
Free for 7 days, no account and no card required. Your notes never leave your Mac.
Download Glyph