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Obsidian vs Obsidian Publish
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Obsidian and Obsidian Publish.
Last reviewed:
| Feature | Obsidian | Obsidian Publish |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Paid |
| Free Tier | Yes | No |
| Monthly Cost (Solo) | $0 | $8 |
| Target Audience | solopreneurs, developers, creators | solopreneurs, creators, developers |
| Verified | Yes | No |
| Solo-Friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Open Source | Yes | No |
| Editorial Rating | 4.5/5 | 4/5 |
| Categories | Productivity, No-Code | Productivity |
| Key Features | Bidirectional linking, Graph view, 1,800+ community plugins, Local Markdown storage, Canvas visual boards | One-click publishing from Obsidian, Custom domain support, Graph view on published site, Search across published notes, Custom CSS theming |
| Free Tier Quality | excellent | None |
Pricing Breakdown
Obsidian
Personal: free. Commercial: $50/user/year. Sync add-on: $4/month (E2E encrypted). Publish add-on: $8/month (public website).
Obsidian Publish
$8/month per site. Custom domain included. Multiple sites at $8/month each.
Integration Overlap
Only in Obsidian (8)
Community plugins (1500+)ReadwiseZoteroTodoistGoogle CalendarGitHubTemplaterDataview
Only in Obsidian Publish (4)
Obsidian (required)Custom domainsGoogle Analytics (via custom head)Custom CSS
Use Case Fit
Obsidian
- * Personal knowledge management
- * Zettelkasten and linked note-taking
- * Research and academic writing
- * Project documentation
- * Daily journaling and reflection
Obsidian Publish
- * Digital garden publishing
- * Documentation websites
- * Personal knowledge base sharing
- * Course or study material publishing
- * Company wiki or handbook
Obsidian
Pros
- + Free for personal use
- + Data stays on your device — full privacy
- + Blazing fast even with thousands of notes
- + Massive plugin ecosystem
- + Works offline with no internet required
Cons
- - Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- - Real-time collaboration requires third-party tools
- - Sync and publish features are paid add-ons
- - Mobile app is less polished than desktop
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
Editorial Verdict
Obsidian takes the lead for solo founders — it offers better value and is explicitly solo-friendly. Obsidian Publish may still be the right pick if you need deep Productivity features or plan to scale to a larger team.
SaaSLens Editorial Team
Editorial Team