Paid Obsidian Plugins: Which Ones Cost Money in 2026
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Every plugin in Obsidian's community directory is free to install. Obsidian doesn't sell plugins: in its words, "Obsidian Community is not a store, and does not offer any built-in payment solutions." A plugin that charges does it outside Obsidian, with a license key, an account or an API key.
Since May 12, 2026, each plugin's page in the directory shows what you should expect to pay, under one of three labels:
- Free: no payment of any kind and no paid service behind it. Donation and sponsor links are allowed. The listing shows no Payments row.
- Optional payments: you can pay to unlock more, or the plugin connects to a paid service or API, even one with a free tier.
- Paid: you must pay to use its main features, even if there is a free trial.
Popular plugins such as Dataview, Templater, Excalidraw and Omnisearch are Free. The ones that cost money are mostly AI plugins and plugins tied to another paid service. Prices below were checked on each vendor's pricing page on November 3, 2026.
Plugins that charge, and what they cost
| Plugin | Directory label | What's free | What you pay for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot | Optional payments | Chat and agents with your own API key, local model or Claude Code or Codex login | Plus: $14.99 a month or $139.99 a year, for hosted models and more. Supporter: $349.99 once |
| Smart Connections | Optional payments | The core plugin: related notes and search by meaning, with a local model and no API key | Pro plugins: $30 a month or $299 a year, with a 14-day trial |
| SystemSculpt (ours) | Optional payments | Chat with your own Claude Code or Codex on desktop; 500 one-time starter credits for eligible new accounts | Hosted AI, transcription and search by meaning: $9 a month or $90 a year, or credit packs |
| Readwise Official | Paid | Nothing without a Readwise subscription; 30-day trial | Readwise: $9.99 a month billed yearly or $12.99 monthly for Full Readwise; cheaper highlights-only plans |
| Remotely Save | Optional payments | Sync to S3, Dropbox, WebDAV and a OneDrive app folder | PRO adds Google Drive, Box, pCloud and more; free during its beta until January 1, 2027, price not yet set |
| Pieces for Developers | Optional payments | 7-day trial | Pro: $18.99 per user a month billed monthly |
| Scrybble | Optional payments | 1-month trial | A license to sync reMarkable highlights into Obsidian, monthly or yearly |
| Ink | Optional payments | Handwriting and drawing between paragraphs with a pen or stylus | Handwriting transcription, by monthly subscription |
| Self-hosted LiveSync | Optional payments | The plugin, with a server you run | Only the hosting you choose for its database |
AI plugins such as Text Generator and Smart Composer are also labeled Optional payments, because they call paid AI services with your own API key. The plugin is free; the AI provider bills you for what you use.
Why a plugin is labeled Optional payments
The label is about what you might pay, not who you pay. A plugin that only needs your OpenAI or Anthropic key is labeled Optional payments even though the developer never charges you, because the AI service does. A plugin that needs a subscription to another product, like Readwise, is labeled Paid even though Readwise, not the plugin, takes the money.
So before you install, check two things on the plugin's directory page and in its README:
- The Payments row. No row means Free.
- The README's disclosures. Obsidian's developer policies allow payments, required accounts, network use and closed-source code "only if clearly indicated in your README", and remove plugins that break the rules.
Obsidian's own paid add-ons
The Obsidian app is free for personal and work use. Its paid add-ons aren't plugins, and you buy them from Obsidian:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Sync | $4 per user a month billed yearly, or $5 monthly |
| Publish | $8 per site a month billed yearly, or $10 monthly |
| Catalyst (supporter license, early access to betas) | $25 once |
| Commercial license (optional, for organizations) | $50 per user a year |
For what each Obsidian AI plugin costs in more detail, see Obsidian AI plugin pricing.
Questions
Are Obsidian plugins free? Yes, to install. Every plugin in the community directory installs for free, and most are free to use. A few charge for extra features or need a paid account, and each listing says so with a Free, Optional payments or Paid label.
Can you buy plugins in Obsidian? No. Obsidian's directory is not a store and takes no payments. A plugin that charges sells a license key, account or subscription on its own website.
Which Obsidian plugins cost money? Mostly AI plugins and plugins tied to a paid service. Copilot Plus is $14.99 a month, Smart Connections Pro $30 a month, SystemSculpt $9 a month for hosted AI, and Readwise Official needs a Readwise subscription. All of them except Readwise Official also work for free in some form.
What does "Optional payments" mean on an Obsidian plugin? That you can pay to unlock more, or that the plugin connects to a paid service or API, even one with a free tier. AI plugins that run on your own API key carry it, because the AI provider charges you.
Is Obsidian Sync a plugin? It's a core plugin that ships with Obsidian, but the service is paid: $4 per user a month billed yearly, or $5 monthly. Free alternatives include Remotely Save, Self-hosted LiveSync and syncing the vault folder with iCloud or another cloud drive.
Is SystemSculpt free? Yes, to install. Desktop chat with your own Claude Code or Codex needs no SystemSculpt plan, and eligible new accounts can claim 500 one-time starter credits for hosted AI with no card. Hosted AI plans are $9 a month or $90 a year.
Install SystemSculpt free from the Obsidian plugin directory, or compare its plans.
Sources
Checked November 3, 2026.
- Obsidian: The future of plugins (payment labels), Developer policies, pricing, license, community directory
- Copilot: pricing
- Smart Connections: Pro plugins
- Readwise: pricing
- Remotely Save: pricing
- Pieces: pricing
- Scrybble: license
- SystemSculpt: pricing