Obsidian Web Clipper alternative: quick clips without leaving your browser
Obsidian Web Clipper is great for filling your Obsidian vault with pages in Markdown. But if you just want to set a paragraph aside and keep working, there's a shorter route. Here's how it differs from NexoPad.
Obsidian Web Clipper is Obsidian's official extension. It turns what you read into Markdown files and saves them to your vault, which is a folder on your computer that you open with the Obsidian app. It has templates, a highlighter and even an AI interpreter.
All of that shines when you're building your own knowledge base. But day to day, you often just want to keep one sentence from a guide or a fact from an article, and have it handy without opening another app. That's what this comparison is about.
Alt+C, done.Comparison table
| Obsidian Web Clipper | NexoPad | |
|---|---|---|
| What it saves | Full pages or parts of them, converted to Markdown, plus passages you mark with the highlighter | Only the text you select, with the page title and link |
| How you save | From the extension window with the template you pick, or with a keyboard shortcut (Alt+Shift+O on Windows) | Select the text and press Alt+C; no window opens |
| Where it goes | As files in your Obsidian vault, on your computer | To the ✂️ Clips folder, synced to your NexoPad account |
| What you need | The Obsidian app installed and a vault set up | Just the extension and a NexoPad account |
| How you use it again | By opening the Obsidian app | Clips tab in the side panel, the Notebook (Alt+Q) or Ctrl+K on any site |
| Templates and AI | Templates with variables, filters and per-site rules, plus an AI interpreter if you set up a provider | No templates or AI when clipping |
| Teamwork | Built for your personal vault | Team vault on the Teams plan |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers, Firefox and Safari | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Brave |
| Price | Free extension; Obsidian is free for personal use and has optional paid services, such as sync | Free plan (20 clips a month and 15 notes in total) and Pro ($7/month or $49/year, up to 1,000 items) |
How NexoPad clips text
Say Marta works in customer support at Lumina. She's reading the internal style guide, "How to write to customers", and finds the paragraph on how to apologize for a delay. With NexoPad, she selects it, presses Alt+C and sees the Saved to NexoPad notice. She keeps reading without switching windows.
The paragraph becomes a note in the ✂️ Clips folder, with the guide's title and link. If she opens the Notebook with Alt+Q and clicks that folder, she sees all her clips in a list. They're also in the Clips tab of the side panel, and she can search them with Ctrl+K from any site, even from the tool where she answers customers.
Since she'll use that paragraph often, Marta turns it into a Shortcut: when she types the abbreviation she chose, the text fills itself into the reply form. She adds a reminder to another clip to review it on Monday. And if her team is on the Teams plan, they can share texts in the team vault.
Now, what NexoPad doesn't do: it only saves text. It doesn't save full pages, images or PDFs, it doesn't create or export Markdown files, and it has no templates or AI interpreter when clipping. More details in the clips guide.
When to choose each
Choose Obsidian Web Clipper if…
You already use Obsidian or want to build a personal knowledge base in Markdown. You save whole articles, you like having them as your own files on your computer and you make the most of templates. For that, it's hard to beat.
Choose NexoPad if…
You mostly save sentences, facts or replies you'll reuse soon, and want them in your browser without opening another app. Also if you want to insert them into forms with a shortcut or share them with your team.
Getting started with NexoPad
Install NexoPad and sign in
It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Brave. You can keep using Obsidian Web Clipper for long pages: the two extensions get along fine.
Clip your first paragraph
Select some text on any page and press Alt+C. The Saved to NexoPad notice will appear.
Check your clips in the Notebook
Press Alt+Q and click the ✂️ Clips folder. From there you can edit a clip, move it to another folder or add a reminder.
Use them wherever you are
Find any clip with Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on Mac). If you type a text often, turn it into a shortcut so you can insert it just by typing.
FAQ
Is Obsidian Web Clipper free?
Yes. The extension is free, and so is Obsidian for personal use. Obsidian has optional paid services, such as sync.
Do I need Obsidian installed to use its Web Clipper?
Yes. What you clip is saved as files in your Obsidian vault, so you need the app and a vault. NexoPad doesn't need a separate app: everything stays in the extension.
Does NexoPad save in Markdown or send clips to Obsidian?
No. NexoPad saves text to your account and doesn't create or export files. If you need to keep full pages, see other options in how to save text from a website.
How many clips can I save for free in NexoPad?
Up to 20 clips a month, and they count toward the 15 notes in total on the free plan. Pro gives you up to 1,000 items.
What other alternatives are there?
If you use Microsoft, see the OneNote Web Clipper alternative; if you're coming from Evernote, the Evernote Web Clipper alternative. For a full workspace, Notion. And if you want your notes inside the browser, read this guide.
Updated on October 20, 20266 min read
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