Consensus vs Obsidian — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Consensus starts at $20/mo. Obsidian starts at $5/mo. Obsidian is $15/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Consensus.
AI research assistant for scientific literature — answers questions with citations from 200M+ academic papers. Pricing: Free (unlimited basic search), Premium $8.99/mo (Consensus Meter, GPT-4 summaries), Enterprise custom. Popular with academics, medical professionals, and researchers who need evidence-backed answers.
Local-first knowledge management tool positioned as the alternative to Notion and Roam for people who don't want their notes trapped in a SaaS database. Distinctive for storing everything as plaintext markdown files on your own disk (no vendor lock-in) plus a massive community plugin ecosystem. Personal use is free forever; Sync ($4/mo) and Publish ($8/mo) are optional add-ons. Popular with researchers, writers, and privacy-conscious knowledge workers.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Consensus monthly | Consensus annual | Obsidian monthly | Obsidian annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free / App | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Pro / Sync | $20 | $12 | $5 | $4 |
| Pro / power | Deep / Publish | $65 | $45 | $10 | $8 |
| Enterprise | Team / Enterprise / — | Custom | Custom | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Consensus is worth it if… researchers, medical professionals, and analysts who need answers grounded in peer-reviewed literature with citations — not a general web AI. 99/mo is one of the cheapest AI research tools in market.
Obsidian is worth it if… solo knowledge workers (researchers, writers, developers, PMs) who want offline-first, local-file, plain-Markdown note-taking with a huge plugin ecosystem — particularly if you value data ownership over collaboration. Free forever for personal use; Sync (paid) adds cross-device encrypted sync; Publish adds one-click static site publishing.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Consensus is per seat, Obsidian is freemium.
Choose Consensus over Obsidian if…
Choose Consensus if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $20/mo).
- You match the profile Consensus is built for: researchers, medical professionals, and analysts who need answers grounded in peer-reviewed literature with citations — not a general web AI.
- You need a general-purpose productivity option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Obsidian if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (freemium, from $5/mo).
- You match the profile Obsidian is built for: solo knowledge workers (researchers, writers, developers, PMs) who want offline-first, local-file, plain-Markdown note-taking with a huge plugin ecosystem — particularly if you value data ownership over collaboration.
- You need a general-purpose productivity option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Consensus | Obsidian | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $20/mo | $5/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | No |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Freemium |
| Last verified | September 20, 2026 | September 11, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Consensus and Obsidian
- How much does Consensus cost in 2026?
- Does Consensus have a free plan?
- How often does Consensus change prices?
- What are the best Consensus alternatives in 2026?
- How much does Obsidian cost in 2026?
- Does Obsidian have a free plan?
- How often does Obsidian change prices?
- What are the best Obsidian alternatives in 2026?