Obsidian vs Roam Research Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Obsidian | Roam Research | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $5/mo | Custom |
| Number of plans | 4 | 0 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Pricing model | hybrid | N/A |
Sync
- Sync notes across devices
- End-to-end encryption
- Version history
- Collaborate on shared vaults
- Priority support
Publish
- Publish notes to the web
- No technical knowledge required
- Customizable theme
- Graph and full text search
- Priority support
Catalyst
- Early access to beta versions
- Community badges
- VIP channel
Commercial
- Support development
- Become a featured organization
Obsidian vs Roam Research FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Obsidian has a free plan. Roam Research doesn't — you'll need to pay from day one.
- How do they charge?
- Check each product's pricing page for the latest details on how billing works.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Obsidian: Against Notion, Roam, or Craft, Obsidian is the budget option by a wide margin — the core product costs nothing, and even fully loaded with Sync and Publish you're at $15/mo. They're winning privacy-conscious, local-first power users and note-taking nerds who resent subscription lock-in, not teams looking for an all-in-one collaborative workspace.
Still deciding? See the best Obsidian alternatives or the best Roam Research alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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