Comparison

ML-42 vs Obsidian

ML-42 opens any folder of markdown files, including an existing Obsidian vault, without adopting it as one; Obsidian is free and adds thousands of plugins once you let it manage your notes as vaults.

Last updated: 2026-08-28 · Obsidian facts checked against obsidian.md's own pages on that date.

ML-42 is a native macOS app for reading and editing markdown files already on disk, across as many folders and projects as you want, for $12.99 once.

Obsidian is a free, cross-platform note-taking app that stores notes as markdown files inside a vault, extendable with thousands of community plugins.

Dimension	ML-42	Obsidian
Interface	One pane: a file list and the note, open on launch	Configurable panes, plugins, and themes, assembled to fit
Storage model	Plain .md files in your existing folders; nothing added	Plain .md files too, organized into vaults — each vault gets a `.obsidian` config folder written into it
Works on folders you already have	Yes — point at any folder, including an existing Obsidian vault; no import, no designation	Yes, via "Open folder as vault," which adopts the folder and writes config into it
Multi-project	Many folders open side by side, one search across all of them	One vault per window; no built-in cross-vault search
File ownership	Yours; the app adds nothing to the folder	Yours too — Obsidian's own claim is open file formats and "never locked in," and that claim holds
Native vs Electron	Native SwiftUI/AppKit, with an NSTextView editor and Apple Intelligence integration	Electron-based; cross-platform, and widely regarded as a well-optimized Electron app
Extensibility	None, by design — no plugins	Thousands of community plugins, themes, and an API
Graph view / backlinks	None	Graph view, backlinks, and a canvas ecosystem
Platforms	macOS 26 or later, Mac only	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Sync	None built in — use whatever already syncs your folders: git, iCloud Drive, Dropbox	Optional paid Sync at $4–5/user/month, or free through your own methods
Price	$12.99 one-time (introductory; will rise)	Core app free, without limits
AI-agent workflow	Built for it — file-watching auto-reloads when an agent edits a file; on-device summaries; search skips build and dependency folders	Files are agent-editable too, but this isn't the app's framing; some plugins add AI features
Accounts / telemetry	None — the only network use is a user-initiated feedback form	No account required for the core app; Sync and Publish, its optional paid services, do require one
Learning curve	Small, by design — open a folder, read, edit	Larger — the power comes with configuration

What you see when you open each app

Open ML-42 and it behaves like a native Mac window — you're reading the folder you pointed it at immediately, no vault to create, no plugin to pick, no setting to visit before the first file renders as formatted markdown. The window is one pane: a file list and the note itself, with FSEvents watching for changes made anywhere else.

Obsidian's first launch asks you to create or open a vault first, and most of its power then arrives through community plugins, themes, and settings you choose and install yourself. Assembling that setup is worth it for a lot of people; it's just a different starting point than opening a folder and reading.

Obsidian stores plain markdown too — so what's different

This is the honest objection, and it's true: Obsidian stores notes as plain markdown files, and its own marketing says you're "never locked in." ML-42 doesn't dispute that.

The difference is what has to happen to the folder before you can read a file in it. Obsidian designates a folder as a vault — via "Open folder as vault" — and writes its own .obsidian configuration folder into it. ML-42 opens any folder, including an existing Obsidian vault, without adopting it or writing anything into it. You can point ML-42 at a git repo, a docs directory, or a vault, read and edit across all of them at once, and nothing changes about how those folders are organized.

Extensibility is where Obsidian wins

Obsidian has thousands of community plugins, themes, a graph view, backlinks, and a canvas ecosystem. ML-42 has none of that, by design — no plugin system, no graph view, no extensibility API. If you want a customizable knowledge-management system, Obsidian is built for it and ML-42 isn't trying to be.

Built around files an agent might be editing

ML-42 watches the files it's showing you with FSEvents, and reloads automatically when an AI agent or another editor changes one on disk — no stale content, no manual refresh. Its command palette search also skips build and dependency folders, which matters when the folder is a code repo, not a note vault. Obsidian's files are just as editable by an agent, but reload behavior and agent-focus aren't part of its framing; that gap is filled by community plugins if you install one.

ML-42 is not a knowledge-management system. It's a reader and editor for folders that exist for other reasons — repos, docs directories, agent context. If you're choosing a home for personal notes, Obsidian may simply be the better category fit; ML-42 competes when the files already exist and need to stay where they are.

Choose Obsidian if

You want plugins, themes, and a customizable system — thousands of community plugins, a graph view, and canvas; ML-42 deliberately has none of that.
You need Windows, Linux, Android, or iOS — ML-42 is Mac-only, by design.
You want a free tool — Obsidian's core app is free without limits, and it also stores plain markdown you own.

Choose ML-42 if

Your files already live somewhere for other reasons — a git repo, a docs directory — and you don't want to turn that folder into a vault just to read one file.
You work across many folders at once and want one search over all of them, without opening a separate vault for each.
You use AI agents that edit files on disk and want the app to notice and reload automatically.

Also see ML-42 vs Bear

Buy it once. It's yours — no database, no sync to rent, no subscription. Native macOS.

Learn more about ML-42