Coming from Obsidian
You do not need to import
Plainva works with the same files. Point it at your vault and it opens — the Markdown, the wiki links, the tags, the frontmatter, the attachments. Nothing is converted, nothing is migrated, and the vault stays just as usable in Obsidian afterwards. The import wizard lists Obsidian for exactly this reason: to say so, and to offer you Open vault.
What works straight away
[[Wiki links]], aliases and anchors, including embeds.- Tags, both in frontmatter and inline.
- Frontmatter properties, with their types.
- Your folder structure, untouched.
- Attachments and images where they already are.
.basefiles — Plainva writes the same format, so a database made in one app opens in the other.
What is honestly missing
- There is no plugin ecosystem. This is the real difference, and no feature list makes up for it. If your vault depends on community plugins, Plainva will feel narrower.
- No Canvas and no Dataview. Filters and views live in
.basefiles instead — the same idea reached from the other side, but not the same syntax. - Plugin syntax already in your notes stays there as plain text. Nothing is deleted; it simply is not interpreted.
What you get instead
Databases in the file format
A .base is a view over your notes with filters, sorting and eight view types — board, calendar, timeline, gallery, pinboard and the rest. It is a file in the vault, and Obsidian reads it too.
Calendar, tasks and mail in the same window
Connect a cloud account once and the calendar, task lists and mailbox sit next to the notes — a mail becomes a note without leaving the app.
Everything built in
Sync through your own storage, version history for every note, backups, a graph, ten languages — without assembling it from plugins first.
Just open your vault
Nothing is written until you write something. If it is not for you, close it and carry on in Obsidian — the vault is unchanged.
Download Plainva What Plainva can do
Coming from: Notion · Evernote · Google Keep