Master Obsidian with our step-by-step tutorial, detailed feature walkthrough, and expert tips.
Explore the key features that make Obsidian powerful for productivity workflows.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Tutorial updated March 2026