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← Back to Obsidian Overview

Obsidian Pricing & Plans 2026

Complete pricing guide for Obsidian. Compare all plans, analyze costs, and find the perfect tier for your needs.

Try Obsidian Free →Compare Plans ↓

Not sure if free is enough? See our Free vs Paid comparison →
Still deciding? Read our full verdict on whether Obsidian is worth it →

🆓Free Tier Available
💎4 Paid Plans
⚡No Setup Fees

Choose Your Plan

Personal

Free

mo

  • ✓Full core app on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
  • ✓Unlimited local Markdown vaults and notes
  • ✓Bidirectional linking, graph view, and Canvas
  • ✓Access to the full community plugin and theme marketplace
  • ✓Web Clipper browser extension
Start Free →

Catalyst

$25 one-time

mo

  • ✓Supports Obsidian development
  • ✓Early access to insider builds
  • ✓Exclusive community badges and Discord roles
  • ✓All features of the free Personal tier
Start Free Trial →

Commercial

$50/user/year

mo

  • ✓Required for business use with 2+ users
  • ✓Same core app and plugin access as Personal
  • ✓Priority email support for license issues
  • ✓Compliance-friendly licensing for organizations
Start Free Trial →
Most Popular

Sync add-on

$4/month (annual) or $5/month

mo

  • ✓End-to-end encrypted multi-device sync
  • ✓1-year version history
  • ✓Selective sync per vault
  • ✓10 GB total storage with 5 MB max file size on standard plan
Start Free Trial →

Publish add-on

$8/month (annual) or $10/month

mo

  • ✓Publish selected notes as a public website
  • ✓Custom domain support
  • ✓Graph view and backlinks on the public site
  • ✓Password protection options
Start Free Trial →

Pricing sourced from Obsidian · Last verified March 2026

Feature Comparison

FeaturesPersonalCatalystCommercialSync add-onPublish add-on
Full core app on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android✓✓✓✓✓
Unlimited local Markdown vaults and notes✓✓✓✓✓
Bidirectional linking, graph view, and Canvas✓✓✓✓✓
Access to the full community plugin and theme marketplace✓✓✓✓✓
Web Clipper browser extension✓✓✓✓✓
Supports Obsidian development—✓✓✓✓
Early access to insider builds—✓✓✓✓
Exclusive community badges and Discord roles—✓✓✓✓
All features of the free Personal tier—✓✓✓✓
Required for business use with 2+ users——✓✓✓
Same core app and plugin access as Personal——✓✓✓
Priority email support for license issues——✓✓✓
Compliance-friendly licensing for organizations——✓✓✓
End-to-end encrypted multi-device sync———✓✓
1-year version history———✓✓
Selective sync per vault———✓✓
10 GB total storage with 5 MB max file size on standard plan———✓✓
Publish selected notes as a public website————✓
Custom domain support————✓
Graph view and backlinks on the public site————✓
Password protection options————✓

Is Obsidian Worth It?

✅ Why Choose Obsidian

  • • Notes are stored as plain Markdown files on your local disk, so you fully own and can back up your data outside any vendor lock-in
  • • Massive community plugin ecosystem with 2,000+ plugins, including dedicated AI plugins like Smart Connections, Copilot, and Text Generator that connect to OpenAI, Claude, and local Ollama models
  • • Core app is free for personal use with no feature gating on note-taking, linking, graph view, or plugins
  • • Privacy-respecting design: by default no telemetry, no cloud account required, and AI plugins let you bring your own API key or run models locally
  • • Powerful bidirectional linking and graph visualization make it well suited for Zettelkasten, research, and long-term knowledge building
  • • Cross-platform with native apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, plus a Web Clipper extension

⚠️ Consider This

  • • Real-time multi-user collaboration is not built in — Obsidian is designed primarily as a single-user tool, unlike Notion or Google Docs
  • • AI features are not bundled; users must install plugins, configure API keys, and often pay separately for OpenAI or Anthropic usage
  • • Steep learning curve for newcomers because of the plugin-driven approach and lack of opinionated defaults
  • • Mobile experience, while functional, is less polished than the desktop app and some plugins are desktop-only
  • • Commercial use requires a $50/user/year license, which can surprise teams that assumed the free tier covered work usage

What Users Say About Obsidian

👍 What Users Love

  • ✓Notes are stored as plain Markdown files on your local disk, so you fully own and can back up your data outside any vendor lock-in
  • ✓Massive community plugin ecosystem with 2,000+ plugins, including dedicated AI plugins like Smart Connections, Copilot, and Text Generator that connect to OpenAI, Claude, and local Ollama models
  • ✓Core app is free for personal use with no feature gating on note-taking, linking, graph view, or plugins
  • ✓Privacy-respecting design: by default no telemetry, no cloud account required, and AI plugins let you bring your own API key or run models locally
  • ✓Powerful bidirectional linking and graph visualization make it well suited for Zettelkasten, research, and long-term knowledge building
  • ✓Cross-platform with native apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, plus a Web Clipper extension

👎 Common Concerns

  • ⚠Real-time multi-user collaboration is not built in — Obsidian is designed primarily as a single-user tool, unlike Notion or Google Docs
  • ⚠AI features are not bundled; users must install plugins, configure API keys, and often pay separately for OpenAI or Anthropic usage
  • ⚠Steep learning curve for newcomers because of the plugin-driven approach and lack of opinionated defaults
  • ⚠Mobile experience, while functional, is less polished than the desktop app and some plugins are desktop-only
  • ⚠Commercial use requires a $50/user/year license, which can surprise teams that assumed the free tier covered work usage

Pricing FAQ

Does Obsidian have built-in AI features?

No, Obsidian itself does not ship with built-in AI. Instead, it offers a community plugin marketplace where dozens of AI-focused plugins are available, such as Smart Connections, Copilot for Obsidian, and Text Generator. These plugins typically require you to supply your own API key for OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, or a locally hosted model via Ollama. This bring-your-own-model approach gives you direct control over cost and privacy rather than paying a bundled subscription.

How much does Obsidian cost?

Obsidian's core application is free for personal use with no feature limits on notes, linking, plugins, or themes. Optional paid add-ons include Obsidian Sync at $4/month billed annually (or $5/month) for end-to-end encrypted device sync, and Obsidian Publish at $8/month annually for hosting public sites from your vault. Businesses with two or more users on a commercial vault need a Commercial license at $50 per user per year. There is also a one-time $25 Catalyst license tier that supports development and unlocks early access builds.

Where are my Obsidian notes stored?

Notes are stored as plain Markdown (.md) files in a local folder on your device called a vault. This means you can open, edit, and back up your notes with any text editor, version-control them with Git, or sync them through services like iCloud, Dropbox, or Obsidian's own Sync. Because there is no proprietary database, you are never locked in — your knowledge base remains usable even if you stop using Obsidian. This local-first design is one of the main reasons privacy-conscious users choose it over cloud-based alternatives.

Can I use Obsidian with Claude, ChatGPT, or local LLMs?

Yes. Several community plugins let you connect Obsidian to large language models. Plugins like Copilot for Obsidian and Smart Connections support OpenAI's GPT models, Anthropic's Claude models, and local models served by Ollama or LM Studio. You configure these by entering your API key (or local endpoint) in the plugin settings, then you can chat with your notes, generate text in the editor, or build a semantic search index across your vault. Costs depend on the underlying provider rather than Obsidian itself.

Is Obsidian good for teams or only individuals?

Obsidian is primarily designed for individual knowledge work, and it shines for personal research, writing, and second-brain workflows. Small teams can share a vault using Git, a shared Dropbox/iCloud folder, or Obsidian Sync, but there is no real-time co-editing like Notion or Google Docs. For professional or business use with two or more contributors, Obsidian requires a Commercial license at $50 per user per year. Teams that depend on live collaboration will likely find Notion or Confluence a better fit.

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