Obsidian vs Roam Research
Obsidian vs Roam Research, compared side by side on 15 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Obsidian is on 10/100 and Roam Research on 53/100.
Where each one leads
Obsidian
- domain rating: 86/100 against 73/100
Roam Research
- our overall score: 53/100 against 10/100
- agent readiness: 44/100 against 33/100
At a glance
| Measure | Obsidian | Roam Research |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Local, markdown-based knowledge base and note-taking tool. | A note-taking tool for networked thought, enabling users to organize notes and ideas through bi-directional linking and graph views. |
| Category | SaaS, Productivity, Knowledge Management | SaaS, Productivity, Knowledge Management |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2C | B2C |
| Offering | Software | Software |
| Founded | 2020 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Moldova | San Francisco, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Obsidian | Roam Research |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | Not published | 10 |
| Total funding | Not published | $9.0M |
| Latest round | Not published | Seed |
| Valuation | Not published | $200M |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Obsidian | Roam Research |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 10/100 | 53/100 |
| Traction | Not published | 45/100 |
| Team | 60/100 | 30/100 |
| Search visibility | 7/100 | 16/100 |
| Quality | Not published | 68/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | F (33/100) | D (44/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 86/100 | 73/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Obsidian | Roam Research |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Not detected | Vercel |
| CDN | Cloudflare | Vercel |
| Frameworks | Tailwind CSS | Bootstrap |
| Support stack | Not detected | Intercom |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
Obsidian vs Roam Research: common questions
Which is better, Obsidian or Roam Research?
On our 0-100 score Roam Research rates higher (53/100 against 10/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 15 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Obsidian and Roam Research compare on the numbers?
Obsidian leads on domain rating (86/100 against 73/100). Roam Research leads on our overall score (53/100 against 10/100), agent readiness (44/100 against 33/100).
Read the full Obsidian review and pricing or the Roam Research review and pricing. You can also browse other Obsidian alternatives we track.

