I'm guessing free as in speech, not free as in beer. Obsidian is not open source [0]

[0] https://obsidian.rocks/why-isnt-obsidian-open-source/

Obsidian is only free for personal use.

If you take notes for work or for a side project that makes money you have to pay.

I don't mind paying because it's worth it.

You can’t use Obsidian for anything that makes money without buying an Enterprise license

When I last looked it was free for businesses of 1 person, no Enterprise licence required. But you would still have to pay for sync if needed.

Thanks for mentioning it. You're right and it still is, but it's not obvious because the pricing summary doesn't say clearly that 1 person businesses are exempt.

> Free for personal use. We don't charge based on features or usage. Only pay if you use Obsidian commercially.

But the FAQ does:

> What is considered commercial use?*

> Commercial use means using Obsidian for revenue-generating or work-related activities within a for‑profit organization that has two or more employees. Government departments and agencies are considered commercial use, unless registered as a non-profit organization. For all other purposes, you're welcome to use Obsidian for free. Learn more.

("Learn more" leads to subtle differences from the FAQ, eg. organisations with 2 or more people rather than employees, and "work-related activities that generate revenue", but the gist is the same)