--- title: I tested Obsidian Bases against Notion with a real... description: A personal test compares Obsidian's Bases plugin against Notion's databases using the same real-world cataloging project (a media collection). Obsidian Bases... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/i-tested-obsidian-bases-against-notion-with-a-real-project-and-one-of-them-fell-apart-jjnhnogr8 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: I tested Obsidian Bases against Notion with a real project, and one of them fell apart | daily.dev og:description: A personal test compares Obsidian's Bases plugin against Notion's databases using the same real-world cataloging project (a media collection). Obsidian Bases... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-tested-obsidian-bases-against-notion-with-a-real-project-and-one-of-them-fell-apart-jjnhnogr8 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/JjNHNoGr8.png og:image:alt: I tested Obsidian Bases against Notion with a real project, and one of them fell apart og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I tested Obsidian Bases against Notion with a real project, and one of them fell apart **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A personal test compares Obsidian's Bases plugin against Notion's databases using the same real-world cataloging project (a media collection). Obsidian Bases sets up quickly on top of existing notes, offering table, card, gallery views and nested AND/OR/NOT filters, but lacks rollups and deeper insight features. Notion requires more upfront setup effort but delivers relations between databases, formulas for totals and medians, and richer cross-database linking. The conclusion favors Obsidian for daily note-taking but Notion for serious database functionality. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What are the main differences between Obsidian Bases and Notion databases for organizing a collection? Obsidian Bases works on top of an existing note vault with minimal setup, offering table, card, filtered, and gallery views plus nested AND/OR/NOT filters across two filter layers, but lacks rollups and deeper relational features. Notion requires more upfront setup and data conversion but supports relations between databases, automatic rollups, and calculations like total spend or median cost, making it stronger for cross-database insights. _daily.dev surfaces comparisons like this for anyone weighing Obsidian versus Notion for their workflow._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Obsidian Bases turned my notes into a database, and I cancelled my Notion plan](https://daily.dev/posts/obsidian-bases-turned-my-notes-into-a-database-and-i-cancelled-my-notion-plan-omchmk5e1) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 1 comments - [I replaced Notion, Figma, and my task app with one Obsidian setup, and I haven't looked back](https://daily.dev/posts/i-replaced-notion-figma-and-my-task-app-with-one-obsidian-setup-and-i-haven-t-looked-back-vpeuqkqhb) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Obsidian Bases can put project boards beside your notes, making it one less task app to keep updated](https://daily.dev/posts/obsidian-bases-can-put-project-boards-beside-your-notes-making-it-one-less-task-app-to-keep-updated-7ngi3z0yh) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I ditched my database app after Obsidian added one feature, and I'm not paying for separate tools anymore](https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-my-database-app-after-obsidian-added-one-feature-and-i-m-not-paying-for-separate-tools-an-7ml4szauk) · XDA Developers · 58 upvotes · 5 comments --- Tags: [#productivity](https://daily.dev/tags/productivity), [#notion](https://daily.dev/tags/notion) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-tested-obsidian-bases-against-notion-with-a-real-project-and-one-of-them-fell-apart-jjnhnogr8) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"I tested Obsidian Bases against Notion with a real project, and one of them fell apart","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-tested-obsidian-bases-against-notion-with-a-real-project-and-one-of-them-fell-apart-jjnhnogr8","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-tested-obsidian-bases-against-notion-with-a-real-project-and-one-of-them-fell-apart-jjnhnogr8"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T21:34:11.095Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:17:54.076Z","description":"A personal test compares Obsidian's Bases plugin against Notion's databases using the same real-world cataloging project (a media collection). 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