I'm switching from Windows to Linux but will continue using iPhone and iPad. My Obsidian vault currently syncs through iCloud, but I need an alternative because Linux doesn't have an official iCloud client. I already pay for iCloud and Proton, so I'd prefer not to add another subscription. Privacy is important, ideally through end-to-end encryption or a self-hosted solution.
The setup should reliably sync between Linux, iOS, and iPadOS, provide automatic or near-real-time syncing, reduce conflicts and accidental overwrites, work well with Obsidian vaults, and be reasonably easy to maintain. What free setup do people use regularly, and what limitations should I expect?
5 Answers
You could look at privacy-oriented cloud providers such as Filen, MEGA, Internxt, Tresorit, pCloud, or IceDrive. Several offer Linux clients and free tiers, but check the exact encryption and storage limits carefully. Filen has worked well for me so far; IceDrive’s free plan may not provide the same level of encryption by default.
Obsidian Sync is the easiest option and now offers stronger encryption, but it doesn’t fit the requirement of avoiding another paid service. For a free setup, I’d test Syncthing with a small copy of the vault first and pay close attention to how the iOS app handles background syncing and conflicts.
I use Tether on iOS alongside Syncthing on Linux and a home server. It works well, but the free iOS version requires opening the app to trigger syncing. Automatic background syncing is part of its paid plan, so it may not meet your no-subscription requirement.
If the vault is fairly small and each file stays below roughly 100 MB, Git can be a workable option. You could keep local copies on Linux and an external drive, with a private or otherwise trusted remote repository for off-site backups. It isn’t true near-real-time sync, though, and you need to commit and pull carefully to avoid conflicts.
Syncthing is probably the first thing to investigate. It’s free, open source, and works nicely between Linux machines or a Linux computer and a home server. The main catch is iOS: background syncing is restricted, so you generally need a compatible iOS app and may have to open it periodically.
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