Obsidian vs Roam Research
Note-Taking & PKM pricing comparison · 2026
Obsidian pricing ranges from $0–$50/month, while Roam Research ranges from $15–$41.67/month. These products use different pricing models ( vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.
Sources & confidence
Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.
Plans at a glance
Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.
What users say
Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.
Obsidian and Roam Research pioneered the bidirectional linking revolution in note-taking, but they've diverged significantly. Roam Research costs $15/month (Pro) or $500/year (Believer)—a premium that reflects its early-mover status and dedicated user base. Obsidian's core app is free (sync at $5/month), making it dramatically more accessible. Both center on graph-based note-taking, but Obsidian is file-based (your notes are plain markdown files you own) while Roam stores data in a proprietary database.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | Obsidian | Roam Research |
|---|---|---|
| Personal (Free) | Free /free | $15 /month |
| Sync | $5 /per month | $41.67 /month |
| Publish | $10 /per site/month | — |
| Catalyst | Custom | — |
| Commercial | Custom | — |
Market Intelligence
Obsidian
- Median annual cost
- $330
- Based on
- 213 deals
Roam Research
- Median annual cost
- $411
- Based on
- 92 deals
Continue researching
Our Verdict
Choose Obsidian if data ownership matters to you (your notes are plain markdown files stored locally), cost is a consideration, or you want the largest plugin ecosystem. Obsidian is the practical choice for most users in 2026.
Choose Roam Research if you're deeply invested in Roam's block-reference model, need its powerful Clojure-based query system (datalog), or are part of the Roam community and value its specific workflow for academic research and writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Obsidian cheaper than Roam Research?
Yes, significantly. Obsidian is free for personal use (sync adds $5/month). Roam Research costs $15/month or $165/year. Over 3 years, Obsidian costs $0 (local only) vs Roam's $495. Even with Obsidian Sync ($5/month), the 3-year cost is $180 vs Roam's $495.
02 Is Roam Research still worth it in 2026?
For power users who've built deep workflows around Roam's block model and datalog queries, yes. But Roam's development pace has slowed, and many former Roam evangelists have moved to Obsidian or Logseq. For new users exploring PKM tools, Obsidian's free tier and larger ecosystem make it the stronger starting point.
03 Do my notes belong to me in Roam vs Obsidian?
In Obsidian, your notes are plain markdown files stored on your own device—you fully own them and can open them in any text editor. Roam stores data in a proprietary database on Roam's servers. While Roam offers JSON export, your data is less portable than with Obsidian's open file format.