Alternatives
Obsidian alternatives
A vault only remembers what you had time to write.
Obsidian isn't the problem. The problem is that most of what you want back later was never a note: it was a screenshot, a link, a PDF you meant to read.
01 · About Obsidian
First, what Obsidian is.
Obsidian presents itself as a private, local-first place to write and connect notes: plain markdown files in a vault you own, linked to each other, extended by a large plugin ecosystem.
It's the strongest expression of the thinking-in-writing idea, and it rewards people who actually write.
02 · The alternative
Where Shelf is different.
Shelf is a local-first memory layer for the Mac. You save something, Shelf reads it, and later you describe what you half-remember instead of navigating back to it.
- Nothing to write
- Shelf reads the save itself, with OCR, transcription and a short on-device summary, so the memory exists without you authoring it.
- No structure to maintain
- No vault layout, no naming convention, no plugin stack. Save and move on.
- Still local
- Everything stays on your Mac, works offline, and exports when you want it out.
- Use both
- Keep writing in Obsidian. Let Shelf hold the raw material you never turned into notes.
Saving is easy. Remembering is the part software keeps leaving to you.
03 · Be honest
When to stay with Obsidian.
Obsidian is the stronger thinking tool, and writing is how some people remember.
- You think by writing, and the writing is the point.
- You want plain markdown files you control forever.
- You want a plugin ecosystem and deep customisation.
- You want the same vault on Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
- You're building a knowledge base other people or future-you will read.
04 · Questions
Common questions.
- Is Shelf an Obsidian alternative?
- Only partly. Obsidian is for notes you write; Shelf is for things you save without writing. Plenty of people would sensibly use both.
- Is Shelf local-first like Obsidian?
- Yes. Your library and index live on your Mac and the understanding work runs on device, with export and encrypted local backups.
Want the detail? Read the full Shelf vs Obsidian comparison.
If this idea interested you…
Shelf V3 is out now
Shelf V3 is the current build. Shelf does not use automatic updates, so download the latest build here and install it over your current version.
This is intentional. Shelf is built around a local-first, privacy-focused philosophy. An automatic updater requires additional background processes, network connections, update infrastructure, and another system with permission to modify the app. We prefer to keep Shelf’s network footprint and background activity as small as possible.
Manual updates keep the process explicit: Shelf only checks the internet when a feature actually needs it, and you decide when a new version is downloaded and installed.