Most note-taking apps make you pay to use your own notes on two devices. The file you just wrote on your laptop? Locked behind a subscription until it reaches your phone. That clause never sat right with me, especially since my notes are just plain-text files in a folder. While it’s true that some note-taking apps sync flawlessly and they’re completely free, I still felt there had to be a better way to retain total control over my personal data.
It turns out that two free, open-source tools already solved this years ago, and power users have been enjoying it ever since. Obsidian handles the writing, and Syncthing handles the syncing, without any need for an account, a cloud middleman, or a monthly fee. The result is a setup that is unfairly good once it clicks into place.
- Price model
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Free (open-source)
- OS
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Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
Syncthing is an open-source continuous file synchronization tool. It lets you to sync and share files across multiple devices.
Obsidian treats your notes as files you actually own
Plain text forever, because trends come and go
Before getting into the syncing side of things, it helps to understand why Obsidian is worth building around in the first place. The most popular note-taking apps, such as Notion, Evernote, and Apple Notes, store your data in their own proprietary formats on their own servers. When you write a note, you’re essentially putting a thought into someone else’s filing cabinet and hoping they’ll let you access it forever.
Obsidian is different at a structural level. Every note you create is a plain Markdown (.md) file sitting in a folder on your computer. That folder, called a vault, is just a regular directory you can open in any text editor, back up with any tool, or move anywhere you want. It is a local-first note-taking app that syncs only when you decide, so no account is required to use it. There’s no database running in the background. It’s just files.
This might sound boring, but it’s actually what makes everything else possible. Because your vault is a real folder with real files, any sync tool that can handle folders can sync your notes. You’re not dependent on Obsidian’s $5-10/month Sync service, though it’s available if you want it. You’re free to roll your own setup, and Syncthing is the best tool for the job.
Beyond the file structure, Obsidian is quite excellent for thinking. It supports bidirectional links between notesand a visual graph view that maps connections across your entire vault, which is a major reason my colleague replaced multiple note apps with a single Obsidian workflow. You can also install Obsidian plugins to make your vault smarter, adding everything from calendar integration to Kanban boards, and a clean, distraction-free writing interface. The app is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, which matters when you’re building a cross-device workflow.
- OS
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Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, iPadOS
- Developer
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Dynalist Inc.
- Pricing model
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Free
- Initial release
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March 30, 2020
Obsidian is a local-first, Markdown-based note-taking application that stores your notes as plain text files and lets you build interlinked “vaults” of knowledge. It supports plug-ins, graph visualisations, and full control of your data rather than locking you into a proprietary format.
Setting up Syncthing is not difficult, but the configuration requires a little patience
It’s not plug-and-play, but it’s close enough
Syncthing is open-source, free, and runs entirely on your devices. There’s no middleman server holding your files. When two devices are on the same network, they find each other directly and transfer data over an encrypted peer-to-peer connection. When they’re on different networks, Syncthing uses relay servers to facilitate the handshake — but even then, the relay never sees the content of your files, only the connection metadata.
Installing Syncthing on Windows takes about five minutes. The installer downloads the core binary, sets it to start automatically when you log in, and optionally creates the Windows Firewall rule it needs (say yes to that prompt). Once running, Syncthing opens a local web interface at http://127.0.0.1:8384, which is a clean dashboard for managing folders and devices.
Adding your Obsidian vault to Syncthing is the next step, and it’s where the setup pays off immediately if you’re trying to figure out how to sync your Obsidian vault across multiple devices for free. Click Add Folder, point it at your vault path (for example, mine is at C:\Users\Oluwademilade\Documents\Obsidian Vault), and set the Folder Type to Send & Receive. Before saving, hop over to the File Versioning tab and select Simple File Versioning from the drop-down menu, and in the options that follow, set Keep Version between 5 and 10. This is the single most important safety net in the whole setup. If a note gets accidentally overwritten or deleted, Syncthing quietly stores the previous versions in a .stversions folder inside your vault, stamped with the date and time. Nothing is lost silently.
Two small Ignore Patterns are worth adding under the Ignore Patterns tab before you save: .obsidian/cache and .obsidian/workspace*. These exclusions prevent Syncthing from treating Obsidian’s internal UI state as meaningful data and trying to reconcile it across machines. It’s what causes the cryptic sync churn that puts people off peer-to-peer sync altogether. The rest of the .obsidian folder — your plugins, themes, settings — should sync, so you don’t ignore it wholesale.
Pairing a second device is much easier — and it works the same on Android
The hard part is already behind you
To connect to a second device, you exchange Device IDs. In the Syncthing dashboard on your main PC, click Actions -> Show ID and copy the long alphanumeric string. On the second machine, go to Add Remote Device and paste it in. Both devices will receive a prompt to confirm the connection; accept it on both sides. Then, from the first machine, edit the folder and tick the checkbox next to the new device under the Sharing tab. The second machine gets a yellow banner asking whether it wants to accept the new folder; click Add, set the local path, and the initial sync begins. Within seconds of saving a note on one machine, it appears on the other.
Unlike plugin-based sync solutions, Syncthing runs in the background continuously, which means your vault is always up to date before you even open Obsidian.
On Android, the recommended app is Syncthing-Fork, available on both the Play Store and F-Droid. It’s a maintained fork of the official Android client with better battery optimization and a cleaner interface. The pairing and folder-sharing process works identically to the desktop version. Once it’s done, you open Obsidian on Android, select that synced folder as your vault, and every note you’ve ever written is already there, including your plugins and settings.
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If two devices ever edit the same note simultaneously, Syncthing doesn’t silently overwrite anything. It creates a clearly named .sync-conflict file alongside the original, so you can see exactly what happened and merge the versions manually. It’s a transparent, non-destructive approach to a problem that most sync tools either hide or handle badly.
Ownership was the feature you wanted all along
The day-to-day experience after setup is almost invisible, which is the goal. Syncthing runs in the background, watches for file changes, and pushes them to your other devices the moment they’re on the same network. Open a note on your laptop, close the laptop, pick up your phone, and it’s there. The only habit worth building is giving Syncthing a few seconds to finish before you close a device, so changes don’t get stranded mid-transfer.
