You can compare Notion and Obsidian in a dozen ways—features, pricing, interface—but none of that really tells you which one fits into your actual workflow. The more useful lens is how each behaves as part of a reference system. Not just where you store notes, but how you retrieve, trust, and build on them over time. That’s where the differences become less about tools and more about thinking styles. Notion is structured from the outside in.

“Referenced by X” looks like a small detail, almost decorative at first glance. A name attached to an idea, a link to a person behind a recommendation. Easy to overlook. But that simple attribution changes how information is interpreted more than most people realize. Without attribution, content exists in a kind of neutral space. It might be useful, well-written, even accurate—but it lacks orientation. You don’t know who stands behind it, what their perspective is, or why they’re presenting it in that particular way.