Obsidian: pricing, free plan and alternatives
A private notes app that stores everything as plain Markdown files on your own device.
Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.
Obsidian and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid plans | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Yes | From $4/mo | Writers and consultants who want fast, private notes they fully own. |
| Notion | Yes | From $10/mo | Solo businesses that want notes, client wikis and project tracking in one place. |
| Todoist | Yes | From $5/mo | Anyone whose main need is a reliable personal task list on every device. |
| Trello | Yes | From $5/mo | Visual thinkers who track client projects or content as stages. |
Obsidian: what you get
A private notes app that stores everything as plain Markdown files on your own device.
- Price
- App free. Sync $4 a month billed yearly ($5 monthly); Publish $8 per site a month billed yearly ($10 monthly); optional commercial licence $50 per user a year.
- Free plan
- Free without limits, including for work. Sync between devices and publishing a site are optional paid add-ons.
- Best for
- Writers and consultants who want fast, private notes they fully own.
- Works on
- Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Free for work use with no limits
- Your notes stay files you own
Cons
- Syncing between devices costs extra (or needs your own setup)
- Not built for sharing with clients
Key features
- Notes stored as local Markdown files
- Links and graph between notes
- Thousands of community plugins
- Sync and Publish (paid add-ons)
The alternatives
1. Notion
An all-in-one workspace for notes, documents, databases and simple project tracking.
- Price
- Plus $10 per seat a month billed monthly; Notion says yearly billing saves up to 20%.
- Free plan
- Free for individuals: pages and databases, 7-day page history, 5 MB file uploads and a trial of Notion AI.
- Best for
- Solo businesses that want notes, client wikis and project tracking in one place.
- Works on
- Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Flexible enough to replace several tools
- Generous free plan for one person
Cons
- 5 MB upload limit on the free plan
- Can take time to set up the way you want
Key features
- Pages, wikis and databases
- Templates for content calendars and CRMs
- Share pages with clients
- Notion AI (trial on free plan)
2. Todoist
A fast, clean to-do list app that understands dates typed in plain English.
- Price
- Pro $5 a month billed yearly ($60 a year), or $7 billed monthly.
- Free plan
- Beginner plan is $0: 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, 1 week of activity history and 5 MB uploads.
- Best for
- Anyone whose main need is a reliable personal task list on every device.
- Works on
- Web browser, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension
Pros
- Quickest way to capture tasks
- Available on every platform, including Linux
Cons
- Only 5 projects on the free plan
- Custom reminders need Pro
Key features
- Natural-language due dates
- Recurring tasks
- Apps for every platform
- Custom reminders (Pro)
3. Trello
Kanban boards for tracking work as cards that move from to-do to done.
- Price
- Standard $5 per user a month billed yearly, or $6 billed monthly.
- Free plan
- Free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, up to 10 boards per Workspace, unlimited Power-Ups and 10 MB per file.
- Best for
- Visual thinkers who track client projects or content as stages.
- Works on
- Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android
Pros
- Learn it in five minutes
- Easy to share a board with a client
Cons
- 10 boards per Workspace on the free plan
- Less suited to notes and documents
Key features
- Boards, lists and cards
- Unlimited Power-Ups
- Automation (Butler)
- Mobile apps
Sources
Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:
- Obsidian: obsidian.md, checked October 26, 2026
- Notion: www.notion.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Todoist: www.todoist.com, checked October 26, 2026
- Trello: trello.com, checked October 26, 2026