How to Cancel Obsidian Sync & Publish (2026 Guide)

Updated February 2026 · Your notes are local files — they're always yours

Obsidian Paid Services (2026)

• Obsidian Sync ($4/mo): End-to-end encrypted sync across devices
• Obsidian Publish ($8/mo per site): Publish notes as a website
• Obsidian app: Free for personal use (commercial license is one-time $50)

How to Cancel Obsidian Sync

1. Go to obsidian.md/account
2. Sign in with your Obsidian account
3. Go to Sync section
4. Click Cancel subscription
5. Confirm — your sync vaults remain available until the billing period ends
6. After expiry, remote sync data is retained for 30 days, then deleted from Obsidian's servers

How to Cancel Obsidian Publish

1. Same account page: obsidian.md/account
2. Go to Publish section
3. Click Cancel subscription
4. Your published site goes offline at the end of the billing period

Free Sync Alternatives

Obsidian vaults are just folders of markdown files. Any file sync service works:

• iCloud Drive (Apple): Put your vault in iCloud Drive — syncs automatically across Mac, iPhone, iPad. Free with 5GB.
• Google Drive / OneDrive / Dropbox: Same approach — put vault folder in your cloud storage
• Syncthing (free, open source): Peer-to-peer sync between your devices — no cloud server, fully private
• Git + GitHub (free): Version-controlled sync — best for technical users who want full history
• Remotely Save plugin (free): Community plugin that syncs via S3, Dropbox, OneDrive, or WebDAV

Free Publish Alternatives

• Quartz (free): Open-source tool that converts Obsidian vaults into websites — deploy on GitHub Pages for free
• Digital Garden plugin (free): Community plugin that publishes to Vercel/Netlify
• MkDocs or Hugo: Static site generators that work with markdown files
• Notion (free): Share pages publicly with one click

Why Obsidian Is Still Worth Using (Free)

Cancelling Sync/Publish doesn't mean leaving Obsidian. The app itself is free and arguably the best note-taking tool available. You keep: all plugins, all themes, graph view, backlinks, canvas, and the full editing experience. The paid services are nice-to-haves, not essentials.