Build it, borrow it, rent it, or plant it?
There are four common ways to run your notes and your life. Each is the right answer for someone. Here is what each one costs you in money, time and ownership, and when I would tell a friend to choose it, including when that means not choosing Sylvics.
Yes, I'm biased. I've tried to be fair anyway.
Four ways, side by side.
| Build your own vault | Free template | Cloud workspace (Notion and similar) | Sylvics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where your notes live | Plain files on your computer | Plain files on your computer | The provider's servers | Plain files on your computer |
| Money | Free | Free | Free tier, then usually a subscription | Free in the beta; after launch a free version and a one-time licence |
| Time before it works | Weeks to months, and ongoing | An afternoon, then you maintain it | Hours to days, depending on the template | About 30 minutes to install |
| Who maintains it | You | You, once you copy it | The provider maintains the app; you maintain your setup | The plugin is maintained for you; the notes are yours |
| Daily routine and reviews | Whatever you design | Usually a few templates | Whatever you set up | Built in: daily note, weekly to yearly reviews, life-area scores |
| Phone | Yes, with Obsidian's phone app | Yes, with Obsidian's phone app | Yes, usually strong | Desktop only for the dashboards |
| Teams and sharing | Limited | Limited | Strong | No. One person, one vault |
| If the maker stops | Nothing changes | Nothing changes | You export and move | Your files still open anywhere; what you bought keeps working |
Cloud workspaces vary; check each provider's current plans. Obsidian is a separate, free app made by a different company. Sylvics is not affiliated with Obsidian.
What I would tell a friend.
You enjoy designing systems, you have the evenings for it, and you want every choice to be yours. Start with a simple structure and change only what creates friction.
A good template saves the first afternoon. You will still maintain it yourself. Ours are free, plain Markdown, no email.
For teams, shared wikis, databases you reshape weekly, or work that happens mostly on a phone, a cloud workspace is the better tool. Sylvics will not try to be that.
You have built a system or two, you work on a computer, and you want a finished one that runs on ten minutes a day, in files you own. See your vault in two minutes.
Questions
Is Sylvics better than building my own Obsidian vault?
Not for everyone. If you enjoy designing systems, building your own vault is cheaper and teaches you a lot. Sylvics suits people who have already built one or two and want a finished system that keeps working without more setup.
How is Sylvics different from a free Obsidian template?
A template is a set of files you copy and then maintain yourself. Sylvics is a complete vault plus a maintained plugin that draws the dashboards, routes captured notes and rolls daily notes into weekly and monthly reviews.
Should I use Sylvics or Notion?
Use Notion or a similar cloud workspace if you need to share with a team, work mostly on your phone, or want databases you can reshape. Use Sylvics if you work alone on a computer and want plain files you own, a finished routine and no subscription for the core system.
Can I try Sylvics before paying?
The closed beta starts in November 2026 for up to 15 testers, who use it for free. After launch the plan is a free version plus a one-time licence, and every purchase has a 60-day refund.