Is Obsidian free for work?

You are not required to buy a commercial licence. The $50 per user per year licence is optional support, and Sync and Publish are paid services.

How do I sync Obsidian between phone and desktop?

Use Obsidian Sync, or put the vault in iCloud Drive on Apple devices. Third-party folder sync works on desktop but is fragile on mobile.

Note-taking apps

Obsidian

Publisher: Dynalist Inc.

Local-first Markdown notes with backlinks and a large plugin ecosystem.

Official links

Get on App Store Get on GitHub Releases Official website

Each button opens the publisher's own store listing or website. You leave LaunchFaro.

Available on: iOS apps · Open-source releases

Data freshness: Oct 17, 2026

Our take

Our assessment

Obsidian stores every note as a plain Markdown file in a folder you control, which is the whole point: no lock-in, works offline, and any sync or backup tool will do. Backlinks and the graph view make it a personal knowledge base rather than a notebook, and the community plugin catalogue covers almost any workflow. The cost is setup effort; it does nothing for you until you decide how you want it to work.

LaunchFaro editorial· Updated Oct 17, 2026 · Not yet reviewed by a named editor

The summary above is our editorial opinion. Store data below comes from the cited source on the date shown.

Screenshots

Store data

Facts by platform

Store data

Each platform listing is tracked separately, with its own source and date. Figures from one store are never applied to another.

Platform coverage

Which platform listings have verified data
Platform	Evidence	Date	Source
iOS apps	Store data Figures read from the store's official API.	Oct 17, 2026	apps.apple.com
Open-source releases	Store data Figures read from the store's official API.	Oct 17, 2026	github.com

iOS apps App Store

Store data

4.5 / 5 · 2,773 ratings
Rating: 1.14.5
Version: Oct 9, 2026
Updated in store: Free
Price: Unavailable
Users: Oct 17, 2026
Retrieved

Source: apps.apple.com. App data provided by Apple (iTunes Search API).

Open-source releases GitHub Releases

Store data

Unavailable
Rating: v1.14.4
Version: Oct 5, 2026
Updated in store: Unavailable
Price: 22,292
GitHub stars: Oct 17, 2026
Retrieved

Source: github.com. Repository data from GitHub.

What it does

Our assessment

Local Markdown vault with no account required
Backlinks, graph view and canvas for connected notes
Community plugins and themes
Optional paid Obsidian Sync (end-to-end encrypted) and Publish (for sharing notes on the web)
Mobile apps that read the same vault

A list of capabilities written by LaunchFaro. It is our summary, not a statement from the publisher.

Pricing

Listed store price

iOS apps: FreeStore data
Open-source releases: Not verifiedStore data

As listed on the retrieval date. Regional prices and in-app purchases are not covered.

Pricing notes

Our assessment

Obsidian does not require a commercial licence: its pricing page says paying is optional. A commercial licence is offered at $50 per user per year as a way to support development. Sync and Publish are separate paid services.

Pricing checked: Oct 12, 2026 · Source: obsidian.md

Full pricing notes

Privacy & permissions

Our assessment

Notes never leave your device unless you enable Sync or a third-party sync folder. Community plugins run with full access to the vault, so review what you install.

Alternatives

Other products in the same category. Comparison pages exist only where we have written one.

Notion Compare with Obsidian

All alternatives to Obsidian

Questions

Our assessment

Is Obsidian free for work?: You are not required to buy a commercial licence. The $50 per user per year licence is optional support, and Sync and Publish are paid services.
How do I sync Obsidian between phone and desktop?: Use Obsidian Sync, or put the vault in iCloud Drive on Apple devices. Third-party folder sync works on desktop but is fragile on mobile.

Quick answers from store data

Store data

Which platforms is Obsidian available on?: Obsidian has a verified store listing on: iOS apps (App Store), Open-source releases (GitHub Releases).
Do the version and price of Obsidian differ between platforms?: As listed in each store when we last checked, iOS apps: version 1.14.5, price shown as "Free"; Open-source releases: version v1.14.4. Each store sets its own version number and price.
When was Obsidian last updated in the store?: The store listings report the last update as: iOS apps on Oct 9, 2026; Open-source releases on Oct 5, 2026.

Guides that mention Obsidian

App Store launch and distribution basicsThe parts of an iOS launch that affect discoverability (metadata fields, keywords, screenshots, review notes, updates), the Google Play equivalents, and how to localize and test, from Apple and Google documentation.

Data freshness and sources

Store figures are read from the sources below and carry the date they were retrieved. They are not updated in real time.

App Store

Verification: Verified via official API
Retrieved: Oct 17, 2026
Source: apps.apple.com
Attribution: App data provided by Apple (iTunes Search API).
Terms of use: Use permitted for displaying App Store metadata with attribution; no bulk redistribution.

GitHub Releases

Verification: Verified via official API
Retrieved: Oct 17, 2026
Source: github.com
Attribution: Repository data from GitHub.
Terms of use: GitHub API terms: public repository metadata may be displayed. Project licence: unknown.

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