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Flywrite

Flywrite vs Obsidian with Claude Code

Pick Flywrite if you write long Markdown on a Mac with Claude Code: the terminal is part of the writing app and knows the file and text you're working on, with no plugin to install and keep updated and no separate terminal window. Your writing stays plain files with no vault, and backup to your own GitHub repo is built in. Keep Obsidian if your writing lives in a linked-notes vault or you need it on Windows, Linux or your phone.

Published by Flywrite. We make Flywrite, one of the options compared here. Facts are from each product's own pages, checked . · Updated

Pick Flywrite if

  • you write articles, stories, specs, plans, reports or a journal in Markdown on a Mac
  • you want Claude Code, or any CLI agent, right under the page and seeing what you're working on
  • you want the editor, terminal, checkpoints and GitHub backup in one app

Pick Obsidian with Claude Code if

  • your writing lives inside a vault of linked notes
  • you work on Windows, Linux or mobile
  • you want a free setup and don't mind configuring a plugin or terminal

Facts side by side

Facts checked October 9, 2026
FactFlywriteObsidian with Claude Code
What it is A Mac writing app for Markdown with a terminal built in, right below your writingA free notes app. Add Claude Code with the Claudian community plugin or a terminal opened in the vault folder
Price $99 a year, every feature, GitHub backup includedFree, including for work. Sync and Publish are optional paid add-ons (current pricing)
Claude Code itself Needs a paid Claude plan or a Console account in both setups. Flywrite adds no AI fee.
Writing view A Rendered view that reads like the finished piece, Source one keystroke away; your own themes, colors, fonts and page width, per project or per fileShaped by thousands of community plugins and themes
Platforms MacWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android. Claudian is desktop only
Your files Any folder opens as a project: ordinary files you can see in Finder, with no vault, database or special formatA vault is a local folder of Markdown files, plus an .obsidian settings folder
How the agent runs In the terminal under your draft: launchers for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor Agent, or any CLI agent that runs in your terminal, such as Gemini CLI or OpenCodeNo terminal of its own. Claude Code runs through the Claudian community plugin, which also runs Codex and other agents, or in a separate terminal app opened in the vault folder
What the agent sees Claude Code sees the file you're in, the line you're on and the text you've highlighted, with no setup; ⌘⇧L sends a selection to any other agentWith Claudian, the vault is the agent's working folder and Inline Edit previews a word-level diff. Run on its own in a separate terminal, Claude Code doesn't see the note you have open
Undoing agent edits A whole-project checkpoint when Claude Code starts. Restore the project or one fileClaude Code's /rewind, which skips files changed by shell commands
Backup and sync Built in and included: one Sync button backs up to your own GitHub repository and syncs your Macs, with no Git commands. GitHub's free plan includes private repositoriesOptional paid Sync add-on. Obsidian's help also covers other methods, such as iCloud, Git and Syncthing

Sources: Flywrite's docs and pricing; Obsidian pricing, help and download pages; the Claudian repository; Anthropic's Claude Code docs; GitHub's plans. Full list with dates under Sources and limits.

Flywrite is $99 a year for Mac, with no AI fee. Buy Flywrite for Mac

Where each one wins

Where Flywrite wins

  • A writing app you can make your own. A Rendered view that reads like the finished piece, with Source one keystroke away. Pick your theme, colors, fonts and page width, app-wide, per project or per file.
  • Your agent, beside the page. Run Claude Code, Codex or Cursor Agent from launchers, or any CLI agent that runs in your terminal, such as Gemini CLI or OpenCode. Obsidian has no terminal of its own, so there it takes a community plugin you install and update yourself, or a separate terminal app.
  • The terminal knows what you're writing. Claude Code sees the file you're in, the line you're on and the text you've highlighted, automatically. Run in a separate terminal beside Obsidian, it doesn't see the note you have open.
  • A checkpoint of the whole project before Claude Code starts. Flywrite checkpoints everything the moment Claude Code starts in its terminal, and you can restore the project or a single file. Claude Code's own rewind skips files changed by shell commands; Flywrite's checkpoint covers everything in the project.
  • Free backup and sync to your own GitHub. One Sync button backs up the project and keeps your Macs in step, with no Git commands. It's included in Flywrite, and GitHub's free plan includes private repositories; Obsidian's own Sync is a paid add-on, though vaults can be synced other ways.

Where Obsidian with Claude Code wins

  • Free, including for work. Obsidian costs nothing and doesn't require a commercial license; Flywrite is $99/year.
  • Every platform. Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android as well as Mac; Flywrite is Mac only.
  • A knowledge base, not just drafts. Linked notes and thousands of community plugins and themes, if your writing grows out of a notes system.
  • Agent choice inside the vault. Claudian runs Claude Code, Codex and other agents in a sidebar and previews inline edits as a word-level diff.

Agent edit and undo, step by step

How one agent edit works in each setup, from each product's documentation, checked October 9, 2026
StepFlywriteObsidian with Claude Code
Start the agent Start Claude Code from its launcher in the terminal under your draftInstall and open the Claudian community plugin, or open a separate terminal app in the vault folder and run claude
Point it at your text Select text. Claude Code sees the file, the line and your selectionClaudian works in the vault as its folder and Inline Edit acts on a selection; in a separate terminal, Claude Code doesn't see your open note
See the change The editor updates live as the agent editsObsidian refreshes notes changed outside it
Undo it Restore the checkpoint for the whole project or one file; /rewind works tooClaude Code's /rewind restores files its edit tools changed
Undo a change made by a shell command Restoring the project brings every file back as it was when Claude Code started/rewind doesn't track it

Move a vault to Flywrite, or use both

  1. Open your vault as a project. There's no vault to set up in Flywrite: choose Open Folder and pick your vault folder, and your notes open as the ordinary Markdown files they already are. Checkpoints need a Git repository, so Flywrite creates one in the folder unless you turn off checkpoints for new projects in Settings → Writing.
  2. Make the page yours. Choose a theme, fonts and page width in Settings → Appearance, for every project or just this one.
  3. Start Claude Code from its launcher. It sees your selection and open file with no plugin or setup, and Flywrite checkpoints the project as it starts.
  4. Keep Obsidian on the same folder if you like. Obsidian picks up changes made outside it, so edits from Flywrite or Claude Code show up there too.
  5. Connect GitHub for free backup. Back up the project to your own GitHub repository and sync it between Macs with one Sync action; GitHub's free plan includes private repositories.

Questions

Can I use Flywrite and Obsidian on the same folder?

Yes. A Flywrite project is an ordinary folder of files, and an Obsidian vault is a folder of Markdown notes. Obsidian refreshes when files change outside it, so edits made in Flywrite show up there.

Do I need a Claude subscription for either?

For Claude Code, yes, in both setups: it needs a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account, and the free Claude plan doesn't include it. Obsidian is free, and Flywrite charges no AI fee on top of its license.

Is Claudian made by Obsidian?

No. Claudian is a third-party community plugin with its own GitHub repository, released under the MIT license, and Obsidian's community plugin list describes it as not manually reviewed by Obsidian staff. You install it from Community Plugins after turning off Restricted Mode, it runs on desktop only, and like every community plugin it doesn't update automatically. Weighing it against a plain terminal? See Claudian vs a terminal.

Can I use Codex, Gemini CLI or another agent instead of Claude Code?

Yes. Flywrite has launchers for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor Agent, and runs any CLI agent that runs in your terminal, such as Gemini CLI or OpenCode; Claudian runs Codex and other agents too. The automatic selection and checkpoint come with Claude Code, and with Cursor Agent after its setup, so with other agents send your selection with ⌘⇧L and make a checkpoint with ⌘⇧C before you start (Writing with Codex).

Does Flywrite run on Windows, iPhone or Android?

No. Flywrite is a Mac app. If you need your writing on Windows, Linux or your phone, Obsidian runs on all of them.

What happens to my files if I stop paying for Flywrite?

The app switches to read-only, and your files stay plain Markdown on your disk that any editor, Obsidian included, can open. Renewing restores editing right away.

Bring your agent to Flywrite

$99 a year · Mac · every feature

Buy Flywrite for Mac See how the terminal works

Sources and limits

Plans and features change, so check each product's current pricing before you buy.