Is Obsidian enough for worldbuilding?
Obsidian is a general-purpose note-taking app that works on local files and links notes together with [[double brackets]]: it can be used for worldbuilding too, but it doesn't ship with ready-made entity types like character or location, so you build that structure yourself with plugins. yazar.io ships with a structure built specifically for novelists. Which one fits depends on how much ready-made structure you want.
Why do writers pick Obsidian for worldbuilding?
Obsidian is a powerful note app that links notes together with [[double brackets]] and visualizes those links as a graph: files live locally on disk as plain markdown, it works offline, and it's free for personal use. It also has a large community plugin ecosystem.
What's the hard part of worldbuilding in Obsidian?
Obsidian is a general-purpose note app: it doesn't ship with ready-made entity types like 'character' or 'location,' profile fields, or a family tree feature. To get those, you either design your own templates from scratch or go looking for a community plugin.
What does yazar.io offer instead?
yazar.io ships with sections built specifically for novel writing: Characters, Locations, Organizations, Lore and World Rules. Type @Name and a link is created automatically, similar to Obsidian's backlinks, visible from the other side too. Beyond that, Custom Fields (up to 20 per entity) and Field Templates let you extend your profile the way you need, a Glossary holds your terms, Event Flow tracks chronology, and Notes hold your free-form thoughts. A drag-and-drop family tree is also built in. In exchange, it doesn't offer Obsidian's offline/local-file workflow or its wide plugin ecosystem; it's fully web-based.
If you want to share your world with readers, the Shareable Wiki publishes sections like characters, locations, organizations, and lore as a read-only page; the Author Card also lets you show your writer profile, books, and social accounts in one place, and you can export your book.
Because it's web-based, your content lives on a server; it's stored encrypted there (AES-256-GCM), with the keys kept separately, protected by Google Cloud KMS.
Do you have to pay extra to publish your world?
In yazar.io, the Shareable Wiki is included in the permanently free Writer plan; you don't need to buy a separate publishing service. Obsidian requires Obsidian Publish for similar publishing: as of the current official pricing, that's $8 USD per site per month billed annually, or $10 USD per site per month billed monthly. Obsidian Publish does offer real extras (a customizable theme, graph view, full-text search, a custom domain, SEO); we're not hiding those, but in yazar.io, publishing your book's world as a Wiki doesn't require a separate purchase.
| Feature | yazar.io | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made entity types (character, location, etc.) | Yes, 10 built in | No, needs a plugin/template |
| Links / backlinks | Automatic Linked Pages | Automatic via [[Note Name]] |
| Custom fields / profile templates | Yes, 20 fields per entity | You build it yourself with plugins/templates |
| Glossary / Event Flow / Notes | Yes, dedicated sections | You build it yourself with general notes |
| Family tree | Drag-and-drop, built in | No (needs a third-party plugin) |
| Public wiki / sharing | Free, included in your plan | Paid, separate product (Obsidian Publish, $8-10/mo) |
| Offline use | No | Yes, local files |
| Pricing | Permanently free Writer plan + Yazar Pro | Free for personal use, sync/publish paid separately |
Is Obsidian's backlink feature different from yazar.io's?
They're similar at heart: both automatically show a link on the other page once it's created. The difference is that yazar.io offers this through ready-made entity types built for novel writing (including Glossary, Event Flow, and Family Tree), while in Obsidian you build that structure yourself with plugins.
Do I have to pay to publish my world in Obsidian?
Yes, Obsidian Publish is a separate paid service (roughly $8-10 USD per site per month, depending on billing; check the current official pricing since it can change). In yazar.io, the Shareable Wiki is included in the permanently free Writer plan; no separate purchase is required.
Can I move my notes from Obsidian to yazar.io?
There's no direct import tool; you'd need to manually re-enter your markdown notes into the matching entity pages (character, location, and so on).
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