GuruThe Governed Knowledge Layer for Enterprise AI
vs
ObsidianSharpen your thinking. The free and flexible app for your private thoughts.
Comparison · Knowledge Management · weekly run Nov 3
Guru vs Obsidian
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Guru is the stronger AI pick in Knowledge Management: it has a visibility score of 29.9 versus 5.2 for Obsidian, and ranks ahead in 67% of the answers that name both.
Choose Guru if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (29.9 vs 5.2)
- AI answers describe it more positively (56% vs 50% positive)
- You need SOC 2 Type II or HIPAA or GxP or GDPR or EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or Microsoft 365 Certification or Google CASA coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (51–200 employees)
Choose Obsidian if…
- You want a free plan to start
- Per seat pricing suits your budget better than flat tiers
- Strong for personal knowledge management
- Maximum ownership of your files
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | Guru | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 29.9% | 5.2% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Knowledge Management | #3 | #17 |
| Share of voice | 8% | 1.1% |
| Mentions this run | 43 | 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
Guru 0pp · Obsidian 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Guru leads on 3 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
GuruObsidian
Head to head in AI answers
3 engine answers name both brands
2Guru ranked higher
1Obsidian ranked higher
| Prompt | Engine | Guru | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternatives to the most popular knowledge management tool | AI Mode | #7 | #2 |
| Alternatives to the most popular knowledge management tool | Perplexity | #4 | #7 |
| Best knowledge management tool with AI features | ChatGPT | #5 | #6 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Guru | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat tiers | Per seat |
| Entry price | Contact sales | Free; paid from $4 per seat / mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Deployment | AWS-hosted cloud service | Local desktop and mobile apps, with optional cloud Sync and Publish add-ons |
| Integrations | 100+ | — |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GxP, GDPR, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, Microsoft 365 Certification, Google CASA | — |
| Support | Dedicated solution engineers, AI and knowledge management strategy team, Integration setup and rollout support, Ongoing optimization reviews | Discord community, Discussion forum, Help site, Priority support with paid Sync and Publish plans |
| Founded | 2013 | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 51–200 | 1–10 |
| Funding | Series C · $70M raised | Bootstrapped |
| Best for | Organizations in regulated or accuracy-sensitive industries that need governed, verified knowledge for both staff and AI tools. | Individuals and small teams who want private notes stored locally as plain text files they can keep long term |
Plans side by side
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
Guru
- Verified, trusted company knowledge
- Answers inside everyday tools like Slack, browser and CRM
- Strong user reviews and peer-review ratings
- AI-powered enterprise search
- Sales-led, quote-based pricing rather than transparent pricing
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, “Guru vs Obsidian”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/guru-vs-obsidian, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.