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Show HN: I built an app that competes with Notion and Obsidian (impactdiary.com)

5 points by FilipPanoski ↗ HN
App summary: Local-first productivity tool that combines note-taking, task tracking and journaling into one simple app.

Advantages over Notion: Way simpler UI, all user data is only stored locally on their device - providing significantly faster load time, fully functional offline mode and complete privacy of their data

Advantages over Obsidian: Dedicated features for task tracking and journaling - not just note-taking, with cheaper end-to-end encrypted device syncing compared to Obsidian Sync

10 comments

[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 31.0 ms ] thread
FilipPanoski
Hi, I'm Filip! Here's some context for building this app:

Two years ago, I started searching for an app where I can keep all my tasks and notes in one place while I work and learn new things. Notion felt complicated, slow and not suitable for storing secrets. Obsidian lacked task tracking. So I decided to build my own app.

2 years later, I've been using my app daily and love the benefits it provides over the other note-taking apps.

I wonder what others think. Is it good enough to be able to successfully compete with Notion and Obsidian? I started marketing it a few days ago, so still collecting feedback.

Let me know what you think! Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

PurpleRamen
How are data stored? If people write locally first, especially when sync is involved, then usually they seem to talk about some binary blob saved locally, but still inaccessible by normal means for the users. Which means it's not competing with Obsidian.

Which markup-syntax is used? Are plugins/extensions supported?

FilipPanoski
Hi. The data is stored in indexeddb as binary data, but it would be easy to export in a different accessible format like JSON.

The notes support Markdown syntax. Plugins and extensions are not currently supported, which is a plus for Obsidian.

kseistrup
The pricing section mentions “$5.99”. Is that monthly, annually, or for a lifetime? Explicit is better that implicit.

And seriously, why not $6? What can you get for a cent today? Aren't all those .99 prices just attemtps to make something look cheaper than it really is. In my eyes the only thing those prices achieve, is to make the offer look dishonest.

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edit: typo

FilipPanoski
Hi. I agree that the pricing on the landing page should provide these details without having to click on it. I'll update this, thanks!

Regarding why not $6 - I've read that .99 converts more, so that's the only reason why I've decided to do it like this.

kseistrup
Yeah, the “converts more” is another way of saying “luring people into thinking it's cheaper than it really is”. Let's be honest: $6 and $5.99, while matematically different, is for all practicalities the same price: $6. So if it really “converts more” (and does it really or is it just a myth?) it must be because people are seeing $5.99 as cheaper than $6, when the amounts are really the same. That comes across as dishonesty in my eyes, I'm sorry.
FilipPanoski
No worries, I actually appreciate that you've decided to let me know that $5.99 comes of as dishonest to you. I am actually thinking it might be better to instead just put $6 for the reasons you've mentioned. Thanks!
kseistrup
Thanks go to you, it's very encouraging.
gsuuon
I like the simplicity of the UI! Is the main feature that it has fewer features than the alternatives though? Being able to export to markdown or non-blob JSON would be great to sell the 'own your data' aspect. Also there seems to be an off-by-one on the journal calendar, clicking on a date highlights the previous one.
FilipPanoski
I'll be working on exporting your data as markdown next! I agree, it's a great feature for this app.

Also thanks for pointing the calendar discrepancy, I'll look into this!