Comparison
Shelf vs Obsidian
Notes you write, next to things you keep. Both local. Very different work.
Obsidian is a local markdown knowledge base you build by writing and linking. Shelf is a local memory layer for the things you saved and didn't write about.
01 · The difference
Same problem. Different product.
Obsidian
Local notes and knowledge base
- Write notes in markdown.
- Link them together.
- Build a vault.
- Extend with plugins.
- Own your files.
Shelf
Personal memory
- Save things.
- Forget about them.
- Let Shelf understand them.
- Find them again.
- Rediscover them later.
02 · Obsidian
What is Obsidian?
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.
03 · Shelf
What is Shelf?
Shelf is a local-first memory layer for your Mac.
Shelf is built around a simpler question: what will I remember about this later?
You save something from anywhere on your Mac. Shelf reads it, describes it in its own words, links it to the other things it belongs with, and waits until you come looking.
- Capture
- Send a screenshot, link, PDF, image or note to Shelf without leaving what you are doing.
- Understanding
- Text is read out of images with OCR, audio is transcribed, and short summaries and topics are written on device.
- Relationships
- Saved things are connected to each other, with the evidence for each connection shown.
- Semantic retrieval
- Full-text and meaning-based search run side by side, so a rough description usually lands.
- Contextual retrieval
- What you saved around the same time, and about the same subject, comes back with it.
- Local-first privacy
- Your library and its index live on your Mac. No account, no sync server.
- Rediscovery
- Shelf brings older saves back to the surface when they line up with what you are doing now.
04 · Head to head
Head to head.
| Capability | Obsidian | Shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Category | ||
| Core idea | A vault of notes you write and link | A memory layer that remembers what you saved |
| Primary use | Writing, linking and thinking in text | Saving, then finding again |
| Platform | Cross-platform desktop and mobile | Native macOS 14 and later, Apple Silicon and Intel |
| Memory and retrieval | ||
| Personal memory | Memory through what you wrote down | The whole product |
| Semantic search | Text search; semantic via plugins | Full-text and semantic search, on device |
| Contextual relationships | Links you create between notes | Connections between saves, with visible evidence |
| Visual retrieval | Not the focus | Browse and search visually by what a thing looked like |
| Rediscovery | Graph view and plugins can help | Older saves resurface when they become relevant |
| Long-term accumulation | Compounds if you keep writing | Gets more useful the longer you keep saving |
| What you put in | ||
| Screenshots | Can be attached to notes | First-class, with text read out of the image |
| Bookmarks and web references | Via plugins and manual capture | First-class, saved with their content |
| Notes | The whole product | Quick notes, kept alongside everything else |
| Files and PDFs | Stored in the vault, annotated | PDFs and documents, read and indexed locally |
| Effort | ||
| Setup before it's useful | A vault, a structure, often plugins | None. Save something and it works |
| Filing and tagging | Central for most workflows | Optional. Meaning does the grouping |
| Maintenance | The vault is yours to tend | Nothing to prune, rename or reorganise |
| Architecture | ||
| Local-first | Local markdown files you own | Library and index stay on your Mac |
| Privacy model | Local files; optional paid sync | Nothing to sync, because there is no sync server |
| Account requirement | Not required for local use | No account |
| Offline behaviour | Fully offline | Capture, understanding and search work offline |
| Export | Your notes are already plain files | Export your library, plus encrypted local backups |
Shelf rows describe what Shelf does today. Obsidian rows describe only what Obsidian publicly presents about itself. Where a product does not focus on something, that is a choice, not a defect.
Category
- Core idea
ObsidianA vault of notes you write and link
ShelfA memory layer that remembers what you saved
- Primary use
ObsidianWriting, linking and thinking in text
ShelfSaving, then finding again
- Platform
ObsidianCross-platform desktop and mobile
ShelfNative macOS 14 and later, Apple Silicon and Intel
Memory and retrieval
- Personal memory
ObsidianMemory through what you wrote down
ShelfThe whole product
- Semantic search
ObsidianText search; semantic via plugins
ShelfFull-text and semantic search, on device
- Contextual relationships
ObsidianLinks you create between notes
ShelfConnections between saves, with visible evidence
- Visual retrieval
ObsidianNot the focus
ShelfBrowse and search visually by what a thing looked like
- Rediscovery
ObsidianGraph view and plugins can help
ShelfOlder saves resurface when they become relevant
- Long-term accumulation
ObsidianCompounds if you keep writing
ShelfGets more useful the longer you keep saving
What you put in
- Screenshots
ObsidianCan be attached to notes
ShelfFirst-class, with text read out of the image
- Bookmarks and web references
ObsidianVia plugins and manual capture
ShelfFirst-class, saved with their content
- Notes
ObsidianThe whole product
ShelfQuick notes, kept alongside everything else
- Files and PDFs
ObsidianStored in the vault, annotated
ShelfPDFs and documents, read and indexed locally
Effort
- Setup before it's useful
ObsidianA vault, a structure, often plugins
ShelfNone. Save something and it works
- Filing and tagging
ObsidianCentral for most workflows
ShelfOptional. Meaning does the grouping
- Maintenance
ObsidianThe vault is yours to tend
ShelfNothing to prune, rename or reorganise
Architecture
- Local-first
ObsidianLocal markdown files you own
ShelfLibrary and index stay on your Mac
- Privacy model
ObsidianLocal files; optional paid sync
ShelfNothing to sync, because there is no sync server
- Account requirement
ObsidianNot required for local use
ShelfNo account
- Offline behaviour
ObsidianFully offline
ShelfCapture, understanding and search work offline
- Export
ObsidianYour notes are already plain files
ShelfExport your library, plus encrypted local backups
05 · Shelf
Where Shelf is different.
- Memory-first designShelf is built around remembering saved things, not around managing a system. There is nothing to set up before it is useful.
- Mac-nativeShelf is a native macOS app, designed around how you already use the Mac.
- Local-firstYour library and its index live on your Mac. OCR, transcription, summaries, search and connections run on device.
- ContextSaved things are connected through relationships and shared subjects, so one memory brings back the ones around it.
- Retrieval from imperfect memoryYou describe what you half-remember. Shelf is designed for that, not for exact filenames.
- Long-term accumulationThe value grows quietly as your library grows. Nothing needs maintaining for that to happen.
06 · Obsidian
Where Obsidian makes more sense.
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.
Shelf is intentionally narrower.
Shelf is for people who don't want another system. They want their computer to remember.
07 · Decide
Which one should you choose?
Choose Obsidian if
You want to write, link and build knowledge in plain files you own.
Choose Shelf if
You want a personal memory layer for the things you save on your Mac.
If your problem is “I want to think in writing”, Obsidian may be the better fit. If your problem is “I never write it down, I just save it”, Shelf is built for you.
08 · In practice
Three ordinary moments.
Scenario 01
“I never wrote a note about it.”
- Obsidian
- A vault holds what you took the time to write.
- Shelf
- Shelf remembers the raw save itself, read and summarised for you, with no writing required.
Scenario 02
“It was a screenshot from a talk.”
- Obsidian
- You attach it to a note and describe it yourself.
- Shelf
- OCR reads the slide, and the save is findable by what it said.
Scenario 03
“What connects these five things?”
- Obsidian
- The links you made by hand.
- Shelf
- Connections are proposed for you, with the evidence for each one shown.
Obsidian helps you think in writing.
Shelf helps you remember what you've seen.
One is a knowledge base.
The other is a memory layer.
10 · Privacy
Personal memory is personal.
Shelf is designed around the idea that the things you save about your own life should stay with you. Your library and its index live on your Mac, there is no account, and there is no sync server holding a copy.
OCR, transcription, summaries, topics, search and connections all run on device, which is why Shelf keeps working with the network off.
11 · Questions
Straight answers.
- 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.
- Does Shelf work on Mac?
- Shelf is a native Mac app. It runs on macOS 14 and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel.
- Is Shelf local-first?
- Yes. Your library and its index stay on your Mac, and the understanding work, OCR, transcription, summaries, topics, search and connections, runs on device.
- Can Shelf search screenshots?
- Yes. Shelf reads the text out of images with OCR and indexes both the words and the meaning, so you can find a screenshot by describing it.
- Does Shelf require an account?
- No. Shelf works without an account and without a sync server.
Your computer already stores everything.
It should remember some of it.
Free. macOS 14 and later, Apple Silicon and Intel. No account.
Keep reading
Related pages
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.