Obsidian + Syncthing = Killer Combination

The Obsidian Android app is finally live! 🔴

I have been experimenting with the app for the last few days and have discovered some interesting things.

Earlier, I was using Obsidian on my Linux and Windows 10 PC. I used Google Drive to sync the Obsidian Vault between computers.

Now, since the mobile app is live, I decided to sync the vault among my laptop, PC, and Android device.

Google Drive worked fine for syncing between the computers but there’s no efficient way to sync a local Android folder with the Google Drive remote folder.

Yes, there are a few third-party options like Autosync and FolderSync, but I did not want to involve another client which will have access to all my data.

Later, I came across Syncthing and decided to give it a try. I knew about Syncthing from earlier but never thought to use it in this setting.

After trying, it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.

Obsidian’s mobile app is so cool — the look and feel are almost exactly the same as the desktop app. You can install multiple themes, plugins and customize them the way you want.

Also, Syncthing is open-source, free, and available for Windows, Linux, Android, and macOS devices (not for iOS though) so there shouldn’t be any problem.

And the best thing about Syncthing, it doesn’t require internet bandwidth to work. Your devices just have to be on the same wifi network.

I absolutely love the setup!

📢 Update – 31 August 2021

I have decided to subscribe to Obsidian Sync which is $5 per month (if billed monthly).

While Obsidian + Syncthing works great, I started to have some issues with it.

The issue is, both your devices need to be connected to the same wifi network otherwise the changes will not sync immediately. Plus, the Syncthing mobile app keeps always running in the background and drains the battery fast.

Also, if you make some changes in a note from one device and then again make some changes from the other device without letting Syncthing sync the first change, there will be conflicts in syncing. And, you will have to resolve it manually every single time.

For my use case, it wasn’t working efficiently and that’s why I decided to get Obsidian Sync.

However, if all your devices are always connected to the same network, you can keep using the Obsidian and Syncthing setup.

Also check: Why I chose Obsidian over Evernote, Standard Notes, Simple Note, and Logseq

💬 Discussion

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