An Obsidian alternative for iPhone
Obsidian is a superb tool for people who like to build their own system. Reteum is for people who want the benefits of linked notes without building anything: you put thoughts in, and it connects them.
Why people look for an alternative
Obsidian keeps notes as Markdown files in a vault you own and lets you link them, view them as a graph and extend almost everything with plugins. That power comes with work: choosing a folder structure, writing links by hand, picking and maintaining plugins. On a phone, where most thoughts actually arrive, it can feel like a lot of steps to save one line.
What Reteum does differently
- No setup. One box takes text, voice, photos, videos, links and PDFs. There are no folders or tags to decide on.
- Links made for you. The Atlas sorts everything into subjects and links the thoughts that belong together, using an AI model on your iPhone.
- Search by meaning. Find a note from half a memory, a place, a month or a feeling, not just the exact words. Photos and videos are found by what they show.
- Recall. Older thoughts come back on their own each time you open the app.
- Private. The AI runs on the phone, there is no account, and iCloud sync is end-to-end encrypted.
- Your data stays portable. Export everything as one zip file with a Markdown copy, which you can open in Obsidian or any editor.
When to stay with Obsidian
If you write long documents, work mostly on a computer, rely on plugins or want to hand-craft your links, Obsidian is the better tool, and it is free for personal use. Reteum is iPhone only and is built for catching thoughts quickly and finding them again. Some people use both: Reteum in the pocket, Obsidian at the desk.
Price
Reteum is $24.99 a year after a 7-day free trial. Without a subscription you can still read your thoughts, open the Atlas and export. More on building a second brain without the upkeep.
See how Reteum works For iPhone with iOS 26 · 7 days free