Trilium vs Obsidian: Privacy Comparison
This in-depth comparison weighs Trilium against Obsidian along six decisive privacy dimensions: how data is collected, how encryption is implemented, how data is shared with third parties, what privacy controls users get, how transparent each service is, and what their historical track record looks like. The two cover much the same ground, yet they handle user privacy in very different ways. What our review shows is that Obsidian delivers a clearly stronger privacy experience on balance, even though each option has its own relative pluses and minuses that are worth examining closely.
What the Numbers Say
Here is the result of weighing both services across the dimensions that decide real-world privacy. Across the six privacy dimensions we score, Obsidian finishes ahead of Trilium, 52/60 to 35/60. That total reflects a privacy face-off in which one service is consistently the more privacy-respecting choice, even though both cover the same functional ground.
The largest single-dimension gap is in Data Collection, where Obsidian leads by 3 points -- Trilium 5/10 to Obsidian 8/10. On User Controls the margin nearly vanishes: Trilium 8/10 against Obsidian 10/10. Keep reading to see exactly how the gap was earned, category by category.
Data Collection Practices
Every privacy assessment starts with data collection. How much a service gathers, stores, and processes about its users is what ultimately drives the privacy risk of using it. Obsidian takes a leaner approach here, capturing only the data strictly required to make the service work. Its rival pulls in a wider net of information -- behavioral patterns, device identifiers, and usage analytics that go well past what the core features actually need. Our marks were Trilium 5/10 and Obsidian 8/10 in this area. What separates them is not merely how much is gathered but why it is gathered and whether it is truly needed.
Encryption Standards
Whether data is moving or resting, encryption is what keeps it safe, and the quality of that work swings widely across services. Obsidian brings more capable encryption to the table, pairing more resilient protocols for data in transit with better protection for data at rest. Where the two differ is in coverage (exactly which data is encrypted), in strength (the algorithms and key lengths chosen), and in whether end-to-end encryption is used at all (which stops even the service operator from seeing user content). On encryption, Trilium scored 6/10 and Obsidian scored 9/10.
Sharing Data With Outside Parties
A service's willingness to hand data to outside parties is a make-or-break privacy factor. That covers advertising networks, analytics providers, business partners, and what happens when governments come asking. Obsidian keeps a tighter lid on who can reach user data. These sharing habits shape security as much as privacy, since every extra party granted access becomes one more way a breach could happen. Scores: Trilium 7/10, Obsidian 10/10.
What You Can Manage Yourself
Individuals only hold real power over their data when a service's privacy controls are available and genuinely effective. The relevant tools include the option to opt out of data collection, ways to download and erase data, granular permission settings, and how readily users can exercise the rights afforded them by applicable privacy regulations. Obsidian offers more complete and approachable privacy controls. Scores: Trilium 8/10, Obsidian 10/10.
Openness About Data Practices
Transparency comes down to how plainly a service explains what it does with data. It shows up in how readable the privacy policy is, whether transparency reports are published, how quickly privacy questions get answered, and whether policy changes are communicated up front. Obsidian comes across as the more transparent of the two overall. Plain, easy-to-find privacy communication is the bedrock of informed consent and trust. Scores: Trilium 4/10, Obsidian 7/10.
What Their History Reveals
A service's history of privacy incidents, regulatory actions, and responses to vulnerabilities provides important context. Obsidian has a stronger historical record on privacy, with fewer incidents and more responsible handling of the issues that have arisen. Past behavior is often the best predictor of future privacy practices. Scores: Trilium 5/10, Obsidian 8/10.
The Final Verdict
Our comprehensive analysis gives Trilium a total score of 35/60 and Obsidian a total score of 52/60. The overall winner for privacy is Obsidian. While both services serve similar functional needs, the winner demonstrates a more privacy-respecting approach across the dimensions that matter most. That said, no service is perfect, and users should always configure privacy settings actively regardless of which option they choose. We recommend supplementing your choice with additional privacy tools, a VPN, DNS-level ad blocker, and privacy-focused browser, to build a comprehensive privacy posture. If your threat model requires the strongest possible privacy, consider whether an even more privacy-focused alternative exists in this category beyond the two compared here.