hibi
An open-source Obsidian alternative is a pretty direct shot at one of the most loyal user bases in productivity software. Obsidian has won people over with local files, markdown everywhere, and a plugin ecosystem that feels endless. The catch is that the core app stays closed, and that's a real tension for a community that literally builds on plain text. So hibi showing up with the source code on the table is going to turn heads.
I think the interesting part is less about feature parity and more about trust. People will want to know how the plugin system works, whether it's truly community-driven, and whether it can keep pace with Obsidian's insane release cadence. There's also the question of who's behind it. A solo dev can burn out fast, and the graveyard of ambitious open-source note apps is full of great ideas that died at version 0.4.
Still, I'd rather bet on open options than against them. Even if hibi never dethrones Obsidian, the pressure it creates is good for everyone using these tools. I'd want to see the roadmap and the license before getting too excited, but the direction feels right.