Obsidian vs Haptic
Choose Haptic if you want a minimal, local-first Markdown editor whose web instance can be self-hosted and whose AGPLv3 source can be inspected or modified. Choose Obsidian if you need the broader documented workflow now—graph exploration, full-text search, encrypted cross-device sync, shared vaults, mobile support, or hosted publishing. The main tradeoff is open-source deployment flexibility versus feature coverage:
Decision guide
The practical reasons to choose either option, based on documented capabilities.
Choose Haptic if
- Individuals seeking a distraction-free, local-first Markdown editor
- Users or organizations requiring AGPL-licensed source code
- Operators wanting to self-host a browser-based notes instance through Docker or Vercel
Stay with Obsidian if
- You need cross-device synchronization now; Haptic Sync is listed as planned
- You need note sharing or collaborative shared vaults; Haptic lists link sharing as future work
- You require iOS or Android access; Haptic lists mobile support and native mobile apps as planned work
Deployment and operations
Haptic uses Tauri for its desktop app and PGlite for its local database. Its web instance can be self-hosted through a one-click Vercel deployment or a published Docker image exposed on port 3000. It is licensed under AGPLv3 and described as still in active development. No Kubernetes deployment is documented in the supplied material.
Feature fit
What Haptic covers
- Local-first note storage
- Privacy-focused operation
- Note-based personal knowledge capture
What’s different or missing
- No current Haptic cross-device sync
- No current Haptic note sharing
- No current Haptic mobile support
- No documented Haptic graph exploration
- No documented Haptic full-text search
- No documented Haptic web publishing
Project snapshot
- GitHub stars
- 1,694
- Contributors
- 5
- Language
- Svelte
- Last commit
- Oct 1, 2025
- Latest release
- Sep 15, 2024
Categories: Document Collaboration, Knowledge Management, Note Taking, File Sync & Storage
Sources and editorial review11 linked sources
Public documentation supports this comparison. Automation assists collection and classification; editorial standards and corrections remain the responsibility of Kris.
A new local-first, privacy-focused and open-source home for your markdown notes
repository description · github.comOpen-Source markdown editor - your new home for notes
readme · github.comTauri (Desktop App) – Local Database
readme · github.comIf you're interested in self-hosting your own web instance of Haptic
readme · github.comHaptic Sync - Sync your notes across devices
readme · github.comNote sharing - Share single notes or entire collections via link
readme · github.comHaptic is currently still in active development. Here are some of the features planned for the future: - [ ] Haptic Sync - Sync your notes across devices - [ ] Note sharing - Share single notes or entire collections via link - [ ] Mobile support for the web app - Currently dependent on PGlite suppo
verdict · github.comA new local-first, privacy-focused and open-source home for your markdown notes
shared feature · github.comIf you're interested in self-hosting your own web instance of Haptic, you can do so with these two options:
deployment · github.comdocker pull chroxify/haptic-web:latest
deployment · github.comHaptic is licensed under the [GNU Affero General Public License Version 3 (AGPLv3)](https://github.com/chroxify/haptic/blob/main/LICENSE).
deployment · github.com
