Can Obsidian sync my local Markdown notes between Mac and iPhone?
4 apps · 10 factors
Scored for the goal: Local-first Markdown notes I own, synced between Mac and iPhone
Quick answer
From the sourced cells below · nobody pays for a position
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 100%fit |  100%Local Markdown files unknown | 100%fit |  33%Misses Local Markdown files | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features | ||||
| Local Markdown filesYes★ | ✓ | – | ✓ | No |
| Mac–iPhone syncYes★ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ! |
| Offline editingYes★ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No |
| Independent file syncYes★ | ✓ | – | ✓ | No |
| Note ExportHas Markdown★ | PDFMarkdown | TXTMarkdownTextBundle V2+7 | TextHTMLOPML+8 | PDFDOCXPNG+4 |
| Sync conflicts | With paid Obsidian Sync… | Bear Pro sync may… | File graphs: experimental Smart… | Mac and iPhone save… |
| Encrypted syncYes★ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No |
| Version History | View earlier versions, compare… | Bear’s team described revision… | Current DB app: desktop… | Preview and restore saved… |
| Purchase | ||||
| Current price | $25 once +6 | $29.99/yr +1 | $5/mo +4 | $96/yr +5 |
| Product | ||||
| What it does | The free and flexible… | Beautiful | A privacy-first | Unleash your creativity and… |
Head to head
Two apps side by side, full answers, nothing truncated. Swap either side.
Yes — notes are ordinary Markdown plain-text files in a local vault folder, editable directly with other apps; Obsidian refreshes external changes automatically. Included in the free Mac app, with no paid-tier requirement.
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
Yes — Obsidian Sync synchronizes Mac–iPhone notes and attachments across unlimited devices while Obsidian runs. Notes/images sync by default; enable PDFs, audio, video and other files separately. Standard: 1 vault, 1 GB, 5 MB/file ($4/month billed annually or $5 monthly). Plus: 10 vaults, 10 GB expandable to 100 GB, 200 MB/file ($8/month billed annually or $10 monthly). Attachments and version history count toward storage; syncing stops when storage is full. iCloud is an alternative.
Yes — Bear Pro syncs notes and attachments between Mac and iPhone through iCloud. Requires sufficient free iCloud storage and matching iCloud/App Store accounts across devices. Each attachment must be under “250Mb” (official spelling); notes over 500,000 characters do not sync. iCloud Drive must be enabled on iOS 16/macOS 14 and earlier.
Yes — create, read and edit local notes offline on Mac and iPhone after installing the apps. Free; no Obsidian account or paid tier required. Existing synced notes must first be downloaded and remain on-device; offloaded cloud files are inaccessible. Optional paid Obsidian Sync keeps local copies and merges offline changes when reconnected.
Yes — create, read, and edit locally stored notes offline on Mac and iPhone, including the free tier; no Bear account required. Install the native apps and finish downloading/syncing existing cloud notes before disconnecting. Cross-device sync requires internet, Bear Pro, matching iCloud/App Store accounts across devices, and sufficient iCloud space; offline edits sync after reconnection.
Yes — sync local Markdown vaults through Apple iCloud Drive between Mac and iPhone; no paid Obsidian tier required. Store the vault in iCloud Drive/Obsidian/[Vault Name] and keep files downloaded. Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Syncthing are not officially supported on iOS; plugin workarounds may vary. Avoid syncing the same vault with multiple services; iCloud on Windows risks duplication or corruption.
Checked the available sources and found no traceable answer. That is not a “no”.
PDF: individual notes on Mac; optional filename title, A3/A4/A5/Legal/Letter/Tabloid paper, landscape, margins and scaling. Exports use light styling; CSS can customize appearance. Markdown (.md): local files can be copied individually or in bulk, including the vault folder. Available in the free app; no numerical export limits stated. Bulk PDF export is unspecified.
With paid Obsidian Sync on Mac and iPhone, offline edits to the same Markdown note merge automatically when syncing resumes; duplicate text or formatting problems may require manual repair. Since v1.9.7, you can instead choose Create conflict file: the remote version stays in the original, and the detecting device’s edits become a separate device/time-stamped copy for manual merging. Configure this separately on both devices. Restore earlier versions on Mac or iPhone: Standard retains notes for
Bear Pro sync may create a second conflicted version, preserving affected versions for manual review. Conflicted notes appear above pinned notes with an icon; related versions are connected by a line. Tag/search views show a conflict indicator; open Notes to review all versions. Copy needed content between versions, then delete the unwanted version; editing one conflicted note can also clear the conflict. The official example involves one offline device and one online device, so the exact both-M
Yes — paid Sync Standard and Plus offer default AES-256 end-to-end encryption for synced notes and attachments between Mac and iPhone. Set and retain an encryption password when creating the remote vault; connecting devices and collaborators need it, and Obsidian cannot recover it. Optional standard encryption is not E2EE. Local vaults remain unencrypted by Obsidian. Upload/delete device, upload time and encrypted path-to-content mappings remain server-readable; deterministic encrypted hashes, a
Yes — Bear Pro offers Mac–iPhone E2EE for note content and attachments through optional iCloud Advanced Data Protection (ADP), or password encryption of individual notes. Use Bear 2.4+ on all devices and matching iCloud/App Store accounts. ADP requires 2FA, device passwords, a recovery contact/key, and compatible devices (Mac: macOS 13.1+; iPhone: iOS 16.2+); titles and tag names are excluded. Legacy notes may need editing/resyncing for ADP. Individual-note passwords cannot be recovered; those E
View earlier versions, compare revisions and restore notes. Paid Sync retains note history for 1 month (Standard) or 12 months (Plus); attachment history lasts 2 weeks. Older versions are deleted after retention and history counts toward Sync storage. Free local File recovery, when enabled, keeps device-specific snapshots for 7 days by default, at least 5 minutes apart; both settings are configurable. Local recovery supports .md and .canvas files. No numerical version-count limit is stated.
Bear’s team described revision history as future work on April 17, 2024; current built-in viewing/restoring of earlier revisions remains unverified. No official retention period or version-count limit was found. On Mac, File → Backup Notes / Restore Backup saves and restores the library; restoring replaces all current notes, including Trash. Rename a .bear2bk backup to .zip and extract it to access individual TextBundle notes. Bear Pro also displays sync-conflict copies for review, copying text,
Website: Free forever; Sync Standard USD $5/month or $48/year per user; Sync Plus $10/month or $96/year per user; Publish $10/month or $96/year per site; Catalyst Insider $25, Supporter $50, VIP $100 once; optional Commercial support $50/user/year. Sync supports unlimited devices. Plus storage upgrades to 100 GB are available; upgrade prices unverified. Eligible students, faculty and nonprofit employees receive 40% off Sync and Publish.
Website: advertises Free and Pro US$2.99/month or US$29.99/year, with App Store downloads; no separate checkout shown. Mac App Store (US): Free; Pro US$2.99/month or US$29.99/year. Education: approval required for 30% off the first annual term; final price shown by the App Store, then regular annual renewal. Free includes local note taking and basic exports; Pro adds sync and advanced features.
The free and flexible app for your private thoughts.
Bear is a beautiful, powerfully simple Markdown app to capture, write, and organize your life. Take notes, plan your day, journal thoughts, organize tables, create lists and tasks, sketch ideas, link notes together, write a book, and muc…
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Score
A reference score weighted by the priorities set for this research. Nobody pays for placement.
Reference score
Priority-weighted · 88% evidence · 3 must-have · 3 important
| App | Score | Payment | Price | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24pts | Free · One-time | Free · $5/mo | 10 / 10 |
| 24pts | Free · One-time | Free · $5/mo | 10 / 10 |
| 16pts | Subscription | Free · $2.99/mo | 8 / 10 |
| 8pts | Free · Subscription | Free · $10/mo | 9 / 10 |
Sources
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How this report was made
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- Report ID
- TMA-1Y3DAXP
- Sources
- 65
- Verified cells
- 38/40 (95%)
- Last checked
- Oct 18, 2026
- Reading saved
- ≈ 4.5 h
Scoring
Must-have factors weigh 5 and important ones 3; only these are scored, or the first five factors if none are marked. An app earns a factor's weight only when a cited source confirms it, and unknown cells count for no one. A pick is named only when the lead is larger than everything still unresolved could swing. Reading time assumes about 4 minutes per source. Full methodology
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