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Obsidian Publish vs Readwise

A detailed comparison to help you choose between Obsidian Publish and Readwise.

Last reviewed:
O
Obsidian Publish

Publish Obsidian notes as a beautiful website

R
Readwise

Sync reading highlights and remember what you read

FeatureObsidian PublishReadwise
Pricing ModelPaidPaid
Free TierNoNo
Monthly Cost (Solo)$8$8.99
Target Audiencesolopreneurs, creators, developerssolopreneurs, creators
VerifiedNoNo
Solo-FriendlyYesYes
Open SourceNoNo
Editorial Rating4/54.5/5
CategoriesProductivityProductivity
Key FeaturesOne-click publishing from Obsidian, Custom domain support, Graph view on published site, Search across published notes, Custom CSS themingHighlight sync from Kindle, articles, PDFs, Spaced repetition review, Reader (read-it-later app), Export to Obsidian, Notion, Logseq, Daily review emails
Free Tier QualityNoneNone

Pricing Breakdown

Obsidian Publish

$8/month per site. Custom domain included. Multiple sites at $8/month each.

Readwise

Readwise Full: $8.99/month. Reader: $8.99/month. Bundle: $13.99/month. Lite (Reader only): $4.49/month.

Integration Overlap

Only in Obsidian Publish (4)

Obsidian (required)Custom domainsGoogle Analytics (via custom head)Custom CSS

Only in Readwise (8)

ObsidianNotionLogseqRoam ResearchKindleApple BooksPocketZapier

Use Case Fit

Obsidian Publish

  • * Digital garden publishing
  • * Documentation websites
  • * Personal knowledge base sharing
  • * Course or study material publishing
  • * Company wiki or handbook

Readwise

  • * Aggregating reading highlights
  • * Remembering key insights via spaced repetition
  • * Read-it-later for articles and newsletters
  • * Building a personal knowledge base
  • * Exporting highlights to note-taking tools

Obsidian Publish

Pros

  • + Seamless publishing from Obsidian
  • + Beautiful graph view on live site
  • + Custom domains and themes
  • + Selective — publish only chosen notes

Cons

  • - $8/month per site is expensive
  • - Requires Obsidian as your editor
  • - Limited customization vs. full website
  • - No comments or interactive features

Readwise

Pros

  • + Best highlight aggregation available
  • + Spaced repetition actually works
  • + Reader app is excellent
  • + Seamless export to knowledge tools

Cons

  • - Expensive for light readers
  • - Requires commitment to the review habit
  • - Reader could replace another subscription
  • - Some sync sources have limitations

Editorial Verdict

For solo founders on a budget, Obsidian Publish wins with solo-friendly pricing. For the highest-rated experience, Readwise edges ahead with a 4.5/5 editorial rating.

SaaSLens Editorial Team

Editorial Team