{
  "name": "Obsidian",
  "slug": "obsidian",
  "pricingModel": "freemium",
  "normalized": {
    "currency": "USD",
    "entry": {
      "plan": "Sync",
      "perMonth": 4,
      "unit": "seat",
      "unitNoun": "user",
      "billing": "monthly",
      "free": false,
      "contactSales": false
    },
    "plans": [
      {
        "plan": "Free",
        "perMonth": 0,
        "unit": "unknown",
        "unitNoun": null,
        "billing": "unknown",
        "free": true,
        "contactSales": false
      },
      {
        "plan": "Sync",
        "perMonth": 4,
        "unit": "seat",
        "unitNoun": "user",
        "billing": "monthly",
        "free": false,
        "contactSales": false
      },
      {
        "plan": "Publish",
        "perMonth": 8,
        "unit": "flat",
        "unitNoun": null,
        "billing": "monthly",
        "free": false,
        "contactSales": false
      },
      {
        "plan": "Commercial",
        "perMonth": 4.17,
        "unit": "seat",
        "unitNoun": "user",
        "billing": "yearly",
        "free": false,
        "contactSales": false
      }
    ],
    "hasFreePlan": true,
    "hasFreeTrial": false,
    "contactSalesOnly": false
  },
  "pricingDetails": {
    "tiers": [
      {
        "name": "Free",
        "price": "$0",
        "features": [
          "Core app unlimited",
          "No sign-up required",
          "Local markdown files",
          "Community plugins",
          "Graph view",
          "Linking and backlinks"
        ],
        "billingPeriod": "month"
      },
      {
        "name": "Sync",
        "price": "$4/user/month",
        "features": [
          "Sync notes across devices",
          "End-to-end encryption",
          "Version history",
          "Collaborative shared vaults",
          "Priority support"
        ],
        "billingPeriod": "month"
      },
      {
        "name": "Publish",
        "price": "$8/site/month",
        "features": [
          "Publish notes to the web",
          "No technical knowledge required",
          "Customizable theme",
          "Graph and full text search",
          "Priority support"
        ],
        "billingPeriod": "month"
      },
      {
        "name": "Commercial",
        "price": "$50/user/year",
        "features": [
          "Development support",
          "Featured organization status",
          "Bulk purchase options"
        ],
        "billingPeriod": "year"
      }
    ],
    "hasFreeTier": true,
    "hasFreeTrial": false
  },
  "costFacts": null,
  "pricesByRegion": null,
  "verdict": "Obsidian core app is genuinely free with no feature gating, every note-taking and knowledge management feature works without paying. The optional paid services (Sync at $4-5/month, Publish at $8-10/month) are the only revenue sources. This makes Obsidian one of the most honest pricing models in productivity software: you own your data (plain Markdown files stored locally), and you pay only for convenience services.",
  "bestFor": "Knowledge workers who want local-first note-taking with zero vendor lock-in | Developers and writers who prefer Markdown files they can version-control with Git | Privacy-conscious users who need end-to-end encrypted sync without cloud dependency | Personal knowledge management with bidirectional linking and graph visualization",
  "hiddenCosts": [
    "Sync ($4-5/month) is almost mandatory for multi-device users. While you can use free alternatives (iCloud, Google Drive, Git), they introduce sync conflicts that Obsidian Sync solves with end-to-end encryption and proper conflict resolution. Most serious users end up paying for Sync",
    "Publish ($8-10/month per site) has no free tier, if you want to publish notes to the web through Obsidian, you pay. Alternatives like Quartz (free, open-source) can publish Obsidian vaults but require technical setup",
    "The Commercial license ($50/user/year) is required for companies with 2+ employees using Obsidian for work. Many small teams overlook this requirement. It unlocks no additional features, it is purely a licensing compliance cost",
    "No built-in collaboration beyond Sync shared vaults. Real-time multiplayer editing requires third-party solutions. Teams needing Google Docs-style collaboration will find Obsidian inadequate without significant workarounds",
    "Mobile app (iOS/Android) is free but less capable than desktop. Complex plugins often do not work on mobile, and the editing experience is more limited",
    "Educational discount (40% off Sync and Publish) requires verification for students, faculty, and nonprofit employees. The discount is generous but not automatically applied"
  ],
  "recentChanges": [],
  "priceHistory": [],
  "partnerLink": false,
  "provenance": {
    "lastVerifiedAt": "2026-10-26",
    "sourceUrl": "https://obsidian.md/pricing",
    "confidence": "high"
  },
  "source": "Toolradar",
  "citation": "Toolradar, verified 2026-10-26, https://toolradar.com/tools/obsidian/pricing",
  "affiliateUrl": "https://toolradar.com/api/go/obsidian?ref=mcp&key=json",
  "toolradarUrl": "https://toolradar.com/tools/obsidian/pricing"
}