# Obsidian alternative: quick notes and reminders in WhatsApp

> Looking for an Obsidian alternative for quick capture? Send notes, lists and reminders to WhatsApp and save to Notion. Where Obsidian is better, and using both.

Source: https://www.getmindie.app/alternatives/obsidian (updated 2026-10-31)

## Messages to send Mindie
- Capture a thought: "Note: try spaced review for the history notes"
- Remind me: "Remind me on Sunday at 5pm to clean up my notes"
- Ask for it: "What did I save about spaced review?"

If you're looking for an Obsidian alternative because you want to jot something down in two seconds, or get reminded about it later, a WhatsApp chat may be the faster place to capture. Mindie keeps notes, lists and reminders in WhatsApp, and can save notes to Notion.

Obsidian is a different kind of tool. For building a body of linked notes, it's excellent and Mindie doesn't try to compete.

## The short answer

- **Stay with Obsidian if** you write long notes, link ideas together, care about plain Markdown files on your own device, or tune your setup with plugins.
- **Try Mindie if** you mostly need quick capture and reminders, and want them in the chat app you already have open.

## At a glance

| | Mindie | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | A WhatsApp chat, plus a web dashboard | Apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android |
| What it stores | Short notes, lists and reminders | Linked Markdown notes on your device |
| Links, graph, canvas | No | Yes |
| Plugins | No | Thousands from the community |
| Reminders at a set time | Yes, one-off or repeating | Through community plugins |
| Voice notes and screenshots | Yes, read and saved | No |

## Where Obsidian is better

Obsidian keeps your notes as plain Markdown files on your own device, so they work offline and aren't locked into one service. You can link notes into a personal wiki, see them as a graph, lay out ideas on a canvas and add community plugins and themes. The app is free, and Sync and Publish are paid extras. If you think in connected notes, it's the right home.

## Where Mindie fits

Mindie is a contact in your WhatsApp. You text it the way you would text a friend ("pay rent on the 5th at 10am"), or send a voice note or a screenshot, and it replies with the time it understood. If you leave out a time, it asks. When the moment comes it messages you in the same chat, and you reply done, snooze or undo.

Notes work the same way. Send "note: gate code 4721" or "add oat milk to the shopping list" and it's stored. Later, ask "what's the gate code?" and Mindie finds it. Add a hashtag and the note goes to your Notion. A voice note full of ideas gets read, so you don't have to type it out.

## Using both

Many people keep Obsidian for writing and thinking, and use Mindie to catch things on the move and set reminders. Mindie doesn't connect to Obsidian, so copy across anything that belongs in your vault.

## Price

Obsidian is free to use. Its pricing page lists Sync from $4 a user per month and Publish from $8 a site per month, both billed annually, plus an optional commercial license.

Mindie has one plan: $9 a month or $90 a year. You can try it on WhatsApp first with no sign-up, then start a 7-day free trial with every feature. A card is saved at checkout and nothing is charged during the trial. A $99 lifetime plan is open to the first 50 buyers outside the UK and EU. The first payment has a 7-day money-back guarantee, and texting "cancel" ends the plan. See [pricing](/pricing) or [start your trial](/signup).

## FAQ

### Can Mindie replace my Obsidian vault?
No. Mindie keeps short notes and lists, not linked Markdown files. It suits quick capture and reminders, not a knowledge base.

### Does Mindie save to Obsidian?
No. Mindie connects to Google Calendar, Outlook and Notion. Add a hashtag to a message and it saves to Notion.

### Does Obsidian have reminders?
Obsidian's site lists community plugins such as Tasks for tracking to-dos across a vault. Mindie's focus is sending you the reminder in WhatsApp at the right time.

### Why use Mindie if I already have a vault?
As a quick place to capture and get nudged while you're away from your desk. Move anything worth keeping into your vault later.

### Is Mindie a place for linked notes?
No. There are no backlinks, graphs or plugins. Notes are short messages you save and ask for again.

## Related
- [Notion alternative](https://www.getmindie.app/alternatives/notion)
- [Evernote alternative](https://www.getmindie.app/alternatives/evernote)
- [Notes in WhatsApp](https://www.getmindie.app/features/whatsapp-notes)
- [Save to Notion from WhatsApp](https://www.getmindie.app/features/notion-whatsapp)