GleanEnterprise AI that understands your company
vs
ObsidianSharpen your thinking. The free and flexible app for your private thoughts.
Comparison · Knowledge Management · weekly run Nov 3
Glean vs Obsidian
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Glean is the stronger AI pick in Knowledge Management: it has a visibility score of 16.2 versus 5.2 for Obsidian, and ranks ahead in 100% of the answers that name both.
Choose Glean if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (16.2 vs 5.2)
- AI answers describe it more positively (56% vs 50% positive)
- You need ISO 42001 or HIPAA or TX-RAMP Level 2 or SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 or GDPR coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (501–1,000 employees)
Choose Obsidian if…
- Strong for personal knowledge management
- Maximum ownership of your files
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | Glean | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 16.2% | 5.2% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Knowledge Management | #6 | #17 |
| Share of voice | 4.1% | 1.1% |
| Mentions this run | 22 | 6 |
| Positive in AI answers | 56% | 50% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Glean 0pp · Obsidian 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Glean leads on 3 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
GleanObsidian
Head to head in AI answers
1 engine answers name both brands
1Glean ranked higher
0Obsidian ranked higher
| Prompt | Engine | Glean | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best knowledge management tool with AI features | ChatGPT | #2 | #6 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Glean | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | — | Per seat |
| Entry price | — | Free; paid from $4 per seat / mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Deployment | Per-customer search model stored in the customer's VPC | Local desktop and mobile apps, with optional cloud Sync and Publish add-ons |
| Integrations | 250+ | — |
| Compliance | ISO 42001, HIPAA, TX-RAMP Level 2, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR | — |
| Support | Help Center | Discord community, Discussion forum, Help site, Priority support with paid Sync and Publish plans |
| Founded | 2019 | 2020 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 501–1,000 | 1–10 |
| Funding | Seed or early-stage round (emerged from stealth) · $765M raised | Bootstrapped |
| Best for | Large enterprises that want AI answers and agents grounded in their own permission-aware company data | Individuals and small teams who want private notes stored locally as plain text files they can keep long term |
Plans side by side
Glean
Pricing not available.
Obsidian
Free$0forever
Sync$4per user per month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly)
Publish$8per site per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
Pros and cons
Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand
Glean
- Enterprise search across many connected apps
- Seen as a market leader in enterprise search
- Finds answers and internal experts quickly
- Recommended for enterprise-wide knowledge search
Obsidian
- Strong for personal knowledge management
- Maximum ownership of your files
Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run
Cite as: SlateIndex, “Glean vs Obsidian”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/glean-vs-obsidian, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.