Which one is cheaper?

Obsidian is the cheaper option, starting at $5/mo vs $9/mo for Mem.

Can I use either one for free?

Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.

Different approach here. Mem uses usage-based pricing, while Obsidian goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.

Which one is a better deal?

Depends on what you need. Mem: At $29-49/mo for the core paid tiers, Mem sits mid-to-premium compared to bare-bones note apps like Notion or Obsidian, but it's positioning itself against AI-native tools rather than traditional note-taking software. They're chasing knowledge workers who want an AI assistant baked into their notes, not just cheap storage. Obsidian: Obsidian undercuts nearly every note-taking competitor (Notion, Evernote, Roam) by giving away the full-featured app with zero note limits, then charging a la carte for the boring infrastructure pieces most tools bundle into a subscription. They're clearly optimizing to win power users and privacy-conscious folks who want local-first storage, not enterprises looking for an all-in-one platform.

Mem vs Obsidian Pricing (2026)

	Mem	Obsidian
Starts at	$9/mo	$5/mo
Number of plans	4	4
Free plan
Free trial	—	—
Pricing model	usage-based	hybrid

Mem

Official page

Mem

$0/mo

25 Messages to Mem
25 New Notes per month
Task and Project Tracking for up to 25 notes
15 Open Tasks and Projects
3 hours of Voice Mode

Mem Plus

$9/mo

50 Messages to Mem
50 New Notes per month
Task and Project Tracking for up to 50 notes
25 Open Tasks and Projects
10 hours of Voice Mode

Mem Pro

Popular

$29/mo

100 Messages to Mem
100 New Notes per month
Task and Project Tracking for up to 100 notes
50 Open Tasks and Projects
One Custom Routine
One Connection
25 hours of Voice Mode

Mem Pro 2×

$49/mo

200 Messages to Mem
200 New Notes per month
Task and Project Tracking for up to 200 notes
100 Open Tasks and Projects
2 Custom Routines
2 Connections
50 hours of Voice Mode

Obsidian

Official page

Sync

$5/mo

Sync notes across devices
End-to-end encryption
Version history
Collaborate on shared vaults
Priority support

Publish

$10/mo

Publish notes to the web
No technical knowledge required
Customizable theme
Graph and full text search
Priority support

Catalyst

Custom

Early access to beta versions
Community badges
Exclusive channels

Commercial

Custom

Support development
Become a featured organization

Mem vs Obsidian FAQ

Which one is cheaper?: Obsidian is the cheaper option, starting at $5/mo vs $9/mo for Mem.
Can I use either one for free?: Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
How do they charge?: Different approach here. Mem uses usage-based pricing, while Obsidian goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
Which one is a better deal?: Depends on what you need. Mem: At $29-49/mo for the core paid tiers, Mem sits mid-to-premium compared to bare-bones note apps like Notion or Obsidian, but it's positioning itself against AI-native tools rather than traditional note-taking software. They're chasing knowledge workers who want an AI assistant baked into their notes, not just cheap storage. Obsidian: Obsidian undercuts nearly every note-taking competitor (Notion, Evernote, Roam) by giving away the full-featured app with zero note limits, then charging a la carte for the boring infrastructure pieces most tools bundle into a subscription. They're clearly optimizing to win power users and privacy-conscious folks who want local-first storage, not enterprises looking for an all-in-one platform.

Still deciding? See the best Mem alternatives or the best Obsidian alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.

Keep tabs on both.

We'll monitor pricing changes for Mem and Obsidian and let you know when something moves. See how competitor pricing monitoring works.

Track both free »