The short answer
People use Obsidian as AI memory in two ways: pasting notes into a chat, or connecting the vault to an AI app through a community plugin or a tool like Basic Memory. It works, and many people like it, because every memory is a note they can open and fix. The trade is that you look after the notes, and connecting AI apps to them takes some setup.
Obsidian as AI memory
Obsidian is free for personal use, "Free without limits" in its own words. Sync between devices costs $4 a month billed yearly, and Obsidian says synced notes are protected with AES-256 end-to-end encryption, "preventing us from reading it" (Obsidian's pricing). It runs on phones too.
Obsidian itself doesn't connect to AI apps. For Claude or Cursor to read and write your vault you add a community plugin, or a separate tool such as Basic Memory, which is free, open source and writes plain Markdown that Obsidian can open (Basic Memory's site). That tool needs Python and some setup.
A memory app
A memory app is built for the AI to use. Your apps save short facts as you talk, like a preference, a deadline or a person's name, and look them up later without being asked to open a note. Zaaheen, which we make, keeps that memory encrypted on your computer and shares it between Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, the ChatGPT app, Codex and other apps. You can see and delete your memories in the app, but you don't write them as notes.
| Obsidian (with an AI plugin) | Zaaheen | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes the memory | Mostly you; the AI can add notes through a plugin | Your AI apps, as you talk |
| Can you read it as notes | Yes, every note is a file | You see and delete memories in the app; not as files |
| AI apps | Through community plugins or tools like Basic Memory | Built in, from the Agents tab |
| Encryption | End-to-end on Obsidian Sync | On your computer |
| Phones | Yes | No |
As of 13 October 2026, from Obsidian's and Basic Memory's own websites, and may change. Check the links above for the latest.
What a year costs
| Option | US dollars a year |
|---|---|
| Obsidian | 0 free for personal use |
| Basic Memory (local) | 0 free |
| Obsidian with Sync | 48 $4 a month, yearly |
| Zaaheen | 48 yearly plan |
Source: Each company's own website and ours, prices as of 13 October 2026 and may change.
Using both
They don't compete as much as it looks. Plenty of people keep their notes and documents in Obsidian and let a memory app handle the small, personal facts their AI apps keep asking for. If you love writing notes and want them on your phone, Obsidian alone may be all you need. If you'd rather your AI apps just remembered you, try Zaaheen free for 30 days.
Where Zaaheen falls short: no phone version; Windows and Macs with Apple chips only; one computer, with no sync yet; your memories aren't files you can edit by hand.
Obsidian and Basic Memory are names of their owners. We have no link with either. Facts checked on 13 October 2026; if anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us at customerservice@zaaheen.com and we'll correct it.