Obsidian vs Reor – My honest review of the best second brain note taker (Without any biased opinions)

I have a very successful entrepreneur friend who always managed to send me quotes and information that was useful immediately after our discussion. I always wondered how he did that. It would have taken me days to find a quote from a book but he always had it. Then I discovered the whole second brain concept and that’s when I realized that’s what he had. Then I found this data:

The knowledge worker spends about 2.5 hours per day, or roughly 30% of the workday, searching for information

30% of your workday looking for stuff! This is the productivity boost I’ve been looking for!

It’s a game-changer for organizing thoughts and ideas. But which tool should you use? I spent hours trying out all the different ones to save you time.

Obsidian and Reor are top contenders, each with unique strengths. The key is linking notes effectively, creating a web of knowledge. I’ve used both, and I’m here to share my honest thoughts.

Obsidian: The Polished Powerhouse

Just looking at all the unlinked notes makes me want to vomit.

Obsidian is a sleek, powerful note-taking app that’s won many fans. It’s free (for personal use), which is a big plus. The interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy to get started. You can customize Obsidian to fit your workflow, which is great for power users.

The most important is that it’s FREE (for personal use). Costs can really add up over time, I was shocked when I did an audit of all the tools I paid for. Ontop of that, I can sync it using my iCloud services or NAS across multiple devices for free.

But there’s a catch. Linking notes in Obsidian can be time-consuming. Linking is probably the MOST important thing you need to do. You have to manually create connections between ideas. This process is crucial for building a useful second brain. But it can feel like a chore, especially when you have lots of notes.

I once spent a whole weekend organizing my Obsidian vault. It was tedious, but the results were worth it. My productivity skyrocketed in the following weeks. This experience showed me the power of a well-linked note system.

Obsidian’s strength lies in its flexibility and user-friendly design. But the manual linking process can be a hurdle for some users. Now, let’s look at how Reor tackles this challenge.

Reor: The Promising Newcomer

Reor enters the scene with an exciting promise: AI-assisted note linking. It’s a fresh approach to the second brain concept. Like Obsidian, Reor is free to use, which is always a win for users.

First off, you can import all your existing MD notes from Obsidian. That’s a HUGE time saver. Without this, I wasn’t prepared to redo all my notes.

The AI in Reor suggests similar content as you write. This feature aims to make linking easier and more intuitive. In theory, it should save time and create more connections. But in practice, the results are mixed.

• The A.I. recommendations aren’t really smart. Not great recommendations in my opinion.
• You still need to link them manually. I wish it automatically links it or makes the UX easier with 1 click to link.
• No support for rich media formats. I can’t add PDFs, images and other stuff to it. Which is a big problem.

I tried Reor for a month, excited about the AI-assisted linking. The recommendations were hit-or-miss. Sometimes they were spot-on, other times completely off-base. I still found myself manually linking most notes.

Reor’s AI has potential, but it’s not quite there yet. The interface also feels clunky compared to Obsidian. It’s less polished and can be frustrating to navigate. Let’s dive deeper into the user experience of both tools.

Comparing User Experience

User experience can make or break a note-taking app. Obsidian shines in this area. Its interface is clean, responsive, and easy to navigate. Creating and organizing notes feels natural and intuitive.

Reor, on the other hand, has some catching up to do. The interface isn’t as smooth or polished. It can feel clunky at times, which disrupts the flow of note-taking. This is a significant drawback for a tool meant to capture and connect ideas quickly.

• Obsidian: Smooth, intuitive interface
• Reor: Clunky, less polished design
• Obsidian: Easy note creation and organization
• Reor: Note management feels less streamlined

These differences impact how enjoyable and efficient note-taking feels. A smooth interface makes you more likely to use the tool regularly. This is crucial for building a useful second brain.

I found myself reaching for Obsidian more often due to its better UX. Even with Reor’s AI assistance, the overall experience wasn’t as pleasant. This highlights how important a well-designed interface is for productivity tools.

The user experience gap between Obsidian and Reor is significant. It’s an area where Reor needs to improve to compete effectively. Now, let’s focus on the core challenge: linking notes.

The Linking Dilemma

Linking notes is the heart of a second brain system. It’s what transforms a collection of notes into a network of knowledge. Both Obsidian and Reor approach this differently, with pros and cons.

Obsidian relies on manual linking. You create connections by explicitly linking notes together. This gives you full control over your note network. But it’s time-consuming, especially as your note collection grows.

Reor tries to solve this with AI-assisted linking. The AI suggests related content as you write. In theory, this should make linking faster and easier. But the current implementation falls short of this promise.

• Obsidian: Full control, but time-intensive
• Reor: AI assistance, but imperfect suggestions
• Obsidian: Links feel more intentional and meaningful
• Reor: Links can be hit-or-miss, requiring manual review

The ideal solution would combine the best of both worlds. We need the control of manual linking with the efficiency of AI assistance. Neither tool has fully cracked this code yet.

I’ve spent countless hours linking notes in Obsidian. It’s rewarding but exhausting. With Reor, I hoped for a faster process. But I still ended up manually reviewing and creating most links. The time saved was minimal.

The linking dilemma remains unsolved. Both tools have room for improvement in this crucial area. This brings us to an important question: what does the future hold for these tools?

Future Potential

The future of second brain tools is exciting. Both Obsidian and Reor have room to grow and improve. Their development could reshape how we manage knowledge.

Obsidian has a strong, active community. This drives constant improvements and new features. The open-source nature means endless possibilities for customization. We could see major advancements in linking and organization tools.

Reor’s AI has potential, but needs refinement. As AI technology improves, so could Reor’s linking capabilities. We might see more accurate suggestions and even automated linking in the future.

• Obsidian: Community-driven development and plugins
• Reor: Improved AI for more accurate linking suggestions
• Both: Potential integration with other productivity tools

These advancements could make second brain systems more powerful and accessible. They could change how we interact with our digital notes.

I’m excited to see how these tools evolve. The competition between them will likely drive innovation. This is great news for users who want better ways to manage information.

The future of note-taking looks bright. Both Obsidian and Reor are pushing the boundaries in their own ways. It’s an exciting time to be building a second brain.

Another option: Obsidian CoPilot

I’m updating this article because I discovered something that brings A.I. to obsidian that I’m using now. Since Reor is not ready, I found a plugin called Obsidian Copilot.

It’s a plugin that calls the ChatGPT API and works inside obsidian. It’s still in beta but it works quite well. It can do basic things like ask questions related to your vault but more advanced features like auto linking costs money.

I’ve included the download link below:

Conclusion

Choosing between Obsidian and Reor isn’t straightforward. Both have strengths and weaknesses. Obsidian offers a polished experience with manual control. Reor brings AI assistance but needs refinement.

Currently, I’m sticking with Obsidian. Its user-friendly interface and customization options win me over. The manual linking process is time-consuming but rewarding. It forces me to think deeply about connections between ideas.

However, I’m keeping a close eye on Reor. Its AI-assisted approach has potential. As it improves, it could become a strong competitor. The ideal tool would combine Obsidian’s polish with Reor’s AI capabilities.