Best Obsidian Alternatives for Android and iPhone

Short answer: if you want an Obsidian alternative on a phone, pick by what you actually need. For a full vault with plugins and graph view, stay with Obsidian's own mobile app. For plain Markdown files that open fast, try Markor (Android), iA Writer, Joplin, Logseq or Markdown Reader & Editor - MD which opens .md files from Files or your file manager, renders them live and follows [[WikiLinks]].

We make Markdown Reader & Editor - MD, so weigh our pick accordingly. The other options here are good at what they do, and we say where they fit better.

What people usually want instead of Obsidian

Notes that stay as plain .md files, not locked in a database.
A lighter app that opens a single file instantly.
No account and no subscription for basic use.
A reader for someone else's Markdown folder.

The options

Obsidian mobile is free for personal use, works on a vault of local Markdown files, and has plugins, graph view and Canvas. Its optional paid Sync keeps vaults in step across devices. It is the right choice if you live in Obsidian.
Markor is a free, open-source Android editor for Markdown and plain text, with todo.txt support. Android only.
iA Writer is a focused writing app with a clean editor, available on Apple devices and Android. It is a paid app rather than a free one.
Joplin is open-source note taking with Markdown, folders, tags and optional end-to-end-encrypted sync, with apps for iOS and Android.
Logseq is an outliner that stores notes as local Markdown, with iOS and Android apps.
Markdown Reader & Editor - MD is a Markdown viewer and editor for iPhone, iPad and Android. It shows a live preview while you type, follows [[Name]] links between notes, draws Mermaid diagrams, exports to PDF, and works offline with no account. It does not run Obsidian plugins or draw a graph view.

How to choose

Want plugins, graph and Canvas: Obsidian mobile.
Want an open-source Android editor: Markor.
Want an outliner: Logseq.
Want notes with sync and tags in an open-source app: Joplin.
Want to open and edit .md files quickly, read a vault, or export a note to PDF: Markdown Reader & Editor.

Because all of these work with plain Markdown, you can use more than one on the same folder.

FAQ

What is a free alternative to Obsidian on Android? Markor and Joplin are free and open source, and Markdown Reader & Editor is free to download.

Is there an Obsidian alternative for iPhone that uses plain Markdown files? Yes: iA Writer, Logseq and Markdown Reader & Editor all work with .md files.

Can I open an Obsidian vault in another app? Yes. A vault is a folder of Markdown files.

Does Markdown Reader & Editor replace Obsidian? No. It does not run plugins or show a graph. It is a fast viewer and editor for the files themselves.

Download Markdown Reader & Editor - MD on the App Store · Get it on Google Play for Android

~/cosmovex/untitled.md unsaved

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Meanwhile, the toolkit

~/cosmovex/home.md · rendered with Markdown Editor & MD Viewer

A Markdown editor good enough to write its own homepage.

This page is a Markdown document. You're reading the rendered preview — press or hit if you don't believe it. That round trip — plain text in, a clean document out — is what Markdown Editor & MD Viewer does on your Android phone. Free, offline, no account.

markdown Live Server — 2 editors, 1 file

# Two cursors, one document
My phone is hosting this file over Wi-Fi,
and my desktop is ed
> nothing leaves the device — it's your Wi-Fi, your file

▶ Install free on Google Play★ 4.7 on Play · 10,000+ installs · free

## New in v1.5 — watch it work

✓Version History — every save snapshotted; browse and restore

✓Works offline — no account, no cloud — files stay on your device

## Just shipped

Both offline-first, both free to try.

NEWAspenote: Offline Voice to TextIt writes it down. On your phone.Runs Offline · Nothing Uploaded · Summary & Actions

NEWHostPilot: PHP Server & SQLTurn your phone into a web server.PHP 8.4 & SQLite · Stays Running · SQL Console

## The rest of the toolkit

One app per job. No 200 MB do-everything bloat.

App	Job	Rating
Markdown Editor & MD Viewer	Write and preview Markdown on mobile.	4.7★ · 5K+	install ios
WebEva: Build Websites & Code	Build websites from your phone.	4.4★ · 5K+	install ios
PDF Viewer & Editor - AI	Edit, convert & sign PDFs on mobile.	4.9★ · 1K+	install ios
HTML Viewer & Editor - Code	View & edit HTML on mobile.	4.6★ · 1K+	install ios
SQLite Editor & SQL Learner	Manage SQLite databases on mobile.	5.0★ · 1K+	install
Python IDE - Offline Compiler	Write and run Python on your phone.	4.1★ · 1K+	install
Aspenote: Offline Voice to Text	It writes it down. On your phone.	—	install
HostPilot: PHP Server & SQL	Turn your phone into a web server.	—	install
DevBuddy: Offline Dev Toolkit	Your pocket developer toolkit.	—	install ios
ShellPilot - Batch SSH Client	SSH terminal & SFTP on the go.	— · 1K+	install ios
API Client -REST & HTTP Tester	Test APIs anywhere, anytime.	— · 500+	install ios
JSON Editor - Viewer & Format	View, edit & format JSON instantly.	— · 500+	install ios
Java & Kotlin Compiler IDE	Write and run Java on your phone.	4.4★ · 1K+	install
XML Viewer & Editor	View, edit & validate XML on mobile.	— · 5K+	install ios
Open CSV — Viewer & Editor	Open and edit CSV files on mobile.	— · 500+	install ios
JavaScript Editor — React IDE	Run JavaScript and React on your phone.	— · 1K+	install
Image to SVG Converter, Viewer	Convert images to SVG and edit vectors on mobile.	— · 1K+	install
YAML / YML Viewer & Editor	View, edit & validate YAML instantly.	— · 500+	install
Network Toolkit: WiFi IP Tools	Network utilities and diagnostic tools.	— · 500+	install
Code Editor - Text & Notepad	Edit text files on mobile.	— · 500+	install
C / C++ Compiler IDE	Compile & run C and C++ on your phone.	—	install
Diagram Maker: Flow & ERD	Draw flowcharts & ERDs on mobile.	—	install
QR Scanner & Generator	Scan codes with confidence	—	install
Zip Extractor — Unzip RAR 7Z	Open ZIP, RAR, and 7Z files	—	install
PromptCrate: AI Prompt Manager	Your personal AI prompt library	—	install

## Free web tools

Background Remover Snapglow SQLite Viewer QueryDrill

## Questions, answered

Is there a free Markdown editor for Android?

Yes — Markdown Editor & MD Viewer is free on Google Play. It gives you a split-view editor with live preview, syntax highlighting, and HTML/PDF export, and it works fully offline with no account.

Can I edit Markdown from my phone on a desktop browser?

Markdown Editor & MD Viewer includes a Live Server: your phone hosts the document over Wi-Fi and you edit it from any desktop browser with two-way live sync. The file never leaves your device.

Can I make Mermaid diagrams on Android?

Yes — the built-in Mermaid Studio turns plain text into flowcharts, sequence and class diagrams, with pan/zoom and SVG export, right on your phone.

Can I turn Markdown into slides or a PDF on my phone?

Presentation Mode turns any Markdown document into a fullscreen slide deck, and export produces styled HTML or print-ready PDF — all generated on-device.

## From the journal

We're a small studio with one rule: each app does a single job well, works offline, and never asks who you are.