True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Obsidian saves you 5%
Best for Obsidian
Free local-first note-taking app with powerful linking. Personal use is free, but Sync ($4/mo) and P
Best for Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative with Postgres database. Free tier is generous, then $25-$599/mo — b
Free local-first note-taking app with powerful linking. Personal use is free, bu...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$16
/month (typical)
Obsidian Sync
Cross-device sync: $4/mo (annual) or $5/mo. Without it, you need your own sync solution (Dropbox, iC...
Obsidian Publish
Host notes as a website: $8/mo (annual) or $10/mo per site. Each additional site is another subscrip...
Commercial License
Using Obsidian for work with 2+ employees requires a Commercial license at $50/user/year ($4.17/user...
Open-source Firebase alternative with Postgres database. Free tier is generous, ...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$40
/month (typical)
Database Size Overage
Pro plan includes 8GB database. Additional storage costs $0.125/GB/mo. A growing app at 50GB = $5.25...
Bandwidth Overage
Pro includes 250GB bandwidth/mo. Additional bandwidth: $0.09/GB. High-traffic APIs or real-time subs...
Edge Function Invocation Limits
Pro includes 2M edge function invocations/mo. Additional invocations at $2 per million. Serverless-h...
Obsidian advertises $0/mo. Supabase advertises $0/mo.
Obsidian has 3 documented hidden fees. Supabase has 3.
Obsidian confidence: 82%. Supabase confidence: 77%.
| Metric | Obsidian | Supabase | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $0/mo | Obsidian |
| True Monthly Cost | $16/mo | $40/mo | Obsidian |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$16/mo | +$40/mo | Obsidian |
| # Hidden Fees | 3 | 3 | Obsidian |
| Confidence Score | 82% | 77% | Obsidian |
| Pricing Tiers | 0 | 3 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | None | — |
Obsidian advertises $0/mo and Supabase advertises $0/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Obsidian has 3 documented hidden fees adding +$16/mo, while Supabase has 3 hidden fees adding +$40/mo. Based on true cost, Obsidian is typically 5% cheaper.
Obsidian has 3 documented hidden fees: Obsidian Sync, Obsidian Publish, Commercial License. These add approximately +$16/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Supabase has 3 documented hidden fees: Database Size Overage, Bandwidth Overage, Edge Function Invocation Limits. These add approximately +$40/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Choose Obsidian if: Free local-first note-taking app with powerful linking. Personal use is free, but Sync ($4/mo) and P. Choose Supabase if: Open-source Firebase alternative with Postgres database. Free tier is generous, then $25-$599/mo — b. The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. Obsidian data has a 82% confidence score and Supabase has 77%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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