Obsidian offers multiple pricing tiers ranging from a free plan to enterprise options. This guide breaks down every plan, what’s included, and which one offers the best value for your needs.
Obsidian has one of the most unusual pricing models in the note-taking world: the core app is completely free for personal use, forever. No feature limits, no note caps, no device restrictions on local files. And yet the app generates enough revenue to sustain a small, independent team through optional paid add-ons.
Understanding what’s free, what costs money, and when those paid add-ons are actually worth it is key to getting the most out of Obsidian without overpaying.
Obsidian Pricing Overview
| Personal Use | Sync | Publish | Commercial License | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $4/month | $8/month | $50/user/year |
| What it covers | Core app, all plugins, local files | Cross-device sync via Obsidian’s servers | Host a public website from your vault | Business/employer-funded use |
| Storage | Local only | Up to 10 GB | Up to 4 GB | Local only |
| Required for personal use? | — | No | No | No |
| Who needs it? | Everyone | Multi-device users | Knowledge bloggers | Professionals paid to use it |
The Core App: Why Most Users Never Pay
Obsidian’s free tier is genuinely complete. You get:
- Unlimited notes — no artificial cap
- Unlimited plugins — access to 1,000+ community plugins
- All core features — graph view, backlinks, templates, canvas, daily notes
- Local storage — your notes are Markdown files on your device, not locked in a proprietary format
- No account required — you can use Obsidian without ever creating a login
This is the fundamental difference between Obsidian and almost every other note-taking app. Tools like Notion, Evernote, and Roam Research require cloud accounts to do anything useful. Obsidian works entirely offline on your local file system.
For a single-device user — say, someone who only takes notes on their laptop — there is absolutely no reason to pay for Obsidian. Ever. You get everything.
For a more detailed breakdown of the app itself, see our full Obsidian Review 2026.
Obsidian Sync: $4/month
Obsidian Sync is the only paid add-on most users will consider. It solves one specific problem: your vault lives on one device, but you want to access it on multiple devices.
What Sync provides:
- End-to-end encrypted sync across all your devices (desktop and mobile)
- Up to 10 GB of storage
- Version history (up to 12 months, depending on tier)
- Selective vault sync — choose which vaults to sync
- Remote backup, even if you only use one device
When Sync is worth it:
- You regularly switch between a laptop and phone, or between a home and work computer
- You want an encrypted, privacy-preserving backup that isn’t tied to iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox
- You care about end-to-end encryption — Sync’s E2E encryption means even Obsidian’s servers can’t read your notes
When Sync is NOT worth it:
- You only use one device
- You already use iCloud, Dropbox, or another service that syncs your Obsidian vault folder automatically (this is a free workaround that many users rely on)
- You’re comfortable with a manual sync workflow using Git or Syncthing
The free workaround is worth mentioning: because Obsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files in a folder, you can sync that folder using any cloud storage service. Many users sync via iCloud on Mac/iPhone or Dropbox across platforms. It’s slightly more technical to set up than Obsidian Sync, but costs nothing.
Obsidian Publish: $8/month
Obsidian Publish lets you host a public website built directly from your vault. You select which notes to publish, and Obsidian hosts them at a URL like yourname.obsidian.md (or a custom domain).
What Publish provides:
- Host a public site from your Obsidian notes
- Graph view visible to site visitors
- Custom domain support
- Up to 4 GB of content storage
- Password-protected vaults (optional)
- Theme customization
When Publish is worth it:
- You’re building a public “digital garden” — a personal knowledge base meant to be shared
- You want to publish documentation, a wiki, or a personal website directly from your notes
- You value the tight integration with Obsidian’s backlinking and graph view on the public site
When Publish is NOT worth it:
- You just want a blog — standard blogging platforms (Ghost, WordPress, even free options like Substack) offer far more publishing features at the same price or less
- You only share notes occasionally — exporting individual notes as PDFs or sharing via a service like Notion is free
- You want full design control — Publish’s customization is limited compared to a dedicated site builder
Commercial License: $50/user/year
Obsidian’s free license explicitly covers personal use only. If your employer is paying for Obsidian, or if you use it as part of a revenue-generating business, you need a commercial license at $50/user/year.
This is a flat, per-seat fee with no tiered pricing or enterprise negotiations. For individuals using Obsidian on the side, this rarely applies. For teams or companies standardizing on Obsidian as a company-wide knowledge tool, this is the cost to account for.
Obsidian vs. Notion Pricing: A Direct Comparison
Many users choose between Obsidian and Notion. Here’s how the pricing models compare:
| Obsidian | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Full app, unlimited notes, local only | Unlimited personal pages, limited team features |
| Basic paid tier | Sync $4/mo | Plus $10/mo |
| Advanced paid tier | Publish $8/mo | Business $15/mo |
| Team/commercial | $50/user/year | $15/user/month |
| Storage model | Local files (free) or Sync ($4/mo) | Cloud-based (included) |
| Offline access | Full, native | Limited (caching only) |
For personal use, Obsidian is dramatically cheaper. For teams and collaborative workflows, Notion is designed with those use cases in mind from the ground up, while Obsidian is fundamentally a single-user tool.
For a detailed head-to-head, read Notion vs. Obsidian: Which Note App Is Right for You?
The Typical Obsidian User’s Actual Cost
- Student or single-device user: $0/year
- Multi-device personal user (Sync only): $48/year
- Digital garden blogger (Sync + Publish): $144/year
- Professional using it for work (Commercial license): $50/year + optional Sync/Publish
Most people who love Obsidian pay either $0 or $48/year. That’s a dramatically lower cost than Evernote’s minimum $129.99/year or Notion’s $120/year Plus plan.
Is Obsidian Right for You?
Obsidian’s pricing model is one of its biggest strengths — you can try the full app for free, with no time limits and no feature restrictions on a single device. The paid add-ons are genuinely optional and reasonably priced.
The tradeoff is the learning curve. Obsidian is more powerful and more flexible than most note-taking apps, but it requires more setup. If you want something that works out of the box with minimal configuration, the alternatives listed in Best Obsidian Alternatives 2026 may be a better fit.
Start Using Obsidian
Download Obsidian Free — no account, no credit card, no expiration.
If you’re already sold on the app and want to decide whether Sync is worth it for your workflow, start by using the free iCloud or Dropbox sync method for a month. If the friction bothers you, $4/month for native Sync is an easy call.
Want to see how Obsidian stacks up in real-world use? Read the full Obsidian Review 2026, or compare it to the top competitors in Best Obsidian Alternatives 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Obsidian free?
Yes, Obsidian offers a free plan with limited features. See the pricing breakdown above for what’s included in each tier.
Is Obsidian worth paying for?
It depends on your needs. The free plan works for basic use, but teams and power users will benefit from paid features. See our plan-by-plan analysis above.
What is the cheapest Obsidian plan?
Check the pricing table above for the most current pricing. Plans and pricing may change — we update this page regularly.