Obsidian review

Obsidian takes the opposite approach to Notion: instead of a cloud workspace, it is a free app that keeps your notes as files on your own device in open formats, so they work offline and stay readable if you ever leave. Obsidian's pricing page says the app is free without limits and needs no sign-up, and a commercial license at $50 a user a year is optional even for work use. You link notes to each other, view the links as a graph, lay out ideas on Canvas and extend the app with thousands of plugins and themes. Paying is only needed for services: Sync costs $4 a user a month billed yearly and adds end-to-end encryption, version history and shared vaults, while Publish costs $8 a site a month billed yearly. The tradeoff is teamwork. Obsidian has no Notion-style databases or live co-editing, so it fits personal knowledge bases better than company wikis. We compared documented features and published prices.

Who it is for

individuals who want private notes they own

Price

Free app; Sync from $4 per user a month billed yearly or $5 monthly; Publish from $8 per site a month billed yearly.

Sync $4 USD Per user, per month, billed annually $5 USD Per user, per month, billed monthly
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 13, 2026.

Key features

• The app is free with no sign-up required, according to Obsidian's pricing page
• Notes are stored on your device in open file formats and work offline
• Thousands of community plugins and themes, plus Canvas and a graph view of linked notes
• Sync add-on with AES-256 end-to-end encryption, version history and shared vaults
• Publish add-on puts notes on the web from $8 per site a month billed yearly

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Core app costs nothing, including for work use, since the commercial license is optional
• Strength: Obsidian says its apps collect no telemetry and it never sells user data
• Strength: 40% discount on Sync and Publish for students, faculty and nonprofit staff
• Weakness: No built-in databases or real-time team editing like Notion pages
• Weakness: Syncing between devices needs the paid Sync add-on or your own setup
• Weakness: Much of the flexibility depends on third-party plugins you install and maintain

Key facts

• Free plan: Yes, the full app with no sign-up
• Sync: $4 a user a month yearly or $5 monthly
• Publish: $8 a site a month yearly or $10 monthly
• Refunds: Full refund within 7 days for Sync and Publish

Where it ranks

Obsidian is No. 1 in our Best Notion Alternatives verdict.