Obsidian Sync is convenient. It is also the only paid part of Obsidian for most users, and it climbs to ten dollars a month the moment you want a vault larger than a gigabyte or a longer version history. A recent XDA piece walked through running an entire vault from a phone with Claude Dispatch, which mostly works because the vault is just a folder of Markdown files. That same property is why Obsidian Sync alternatives are easy to set up: anything that can move a folder between two devices can sync an Obsidian vault.
This guide covers seven different transports we have used to replace Obsidian Sync, ranked by how much hand-holding they need on Android and iOS. None of them require giving up the Obsidian editor itself.
Quick comparison
| Transport | Best for | Cost | End-to-end encryption | Mobile story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syncthing | Peer-to-peer with no cloud | Free | In transit | Android native, iOS via Mobius Sync |
| iCloud Drive | iPhone and Mac users | Bundled with iCloud+ | Apple-managed | Built into the iOS Obsidian app |
| Google Drive (Remotely Save) | Existing Google account holders | Free up to 15 GB | At rest only | Plugin-driven, manual or scheduled |
| Dropbox (Remotely Save) | Reliable cloud sync | Free 2 GB, paid for more | At rest only | Plugin-driven, manual or scheduled |
| Termux plus Git | Devs who want history | Free | At rest on remote, in transit via SSH | CLI on Android, native on iOS via Working Copy |
| Self-hosted LiveSync | Real-time, multi-device | Free, you run a server | End-to-end via passphrase | Real-time replication on every device |
| Resilio Sync | Closed P2P with a friendlier client | Free, paid Pro | In transit | Polished Android client |
Why people leave Obsidian Sync
Three reasons come up in the Obsidian forum and the r/ObsidianMD subreddit.
The first is price. Obsidian Sync Standard sits at $5 per month and Plus at $10, billed per vault. A user with one personal vault, one work vault, and a shared family vault is paying for three subscriptions to do what Syncthing does for free.
The second is vault size and history. Standard caps individual file size and total vault size at one gigabyte with a year of history. The moment a vault holds large PDFs, attachments, or images, it slips into Plus territory.
The third is principle. Plenty of users want their notes encrypted before they leave the device, and prefer to either self-host the sync layer or hold the keys themselves. Obsidian Sync is end-to-end encrypted, but it is also a closed service running on someone else’s servers.
The XDA Claude Dispatch piece is part of the same trend. Developers are treating the vault as a plain folder and reaching for whatever transport already fits their workflow.
The alternatives
Syncthing — best peer-to-peer with no cloud
Syncthing is the default answer in the Obsidian community for free vault sync. It runs on every device, finds peers automatically over LAN or the public discovery network, and never touches a third-party cloud. The Android client is free and open-source. For iOS, Mobius Sync is the paid bridge most Obsidian users land on.
Where it falls short: Battery optimization on Android vendors like Xiaomi and OnePlus can kill the background service if you do not whitelist it. iOS does not have an official client.
Pricing:
- Free, open-source on Android and desktop.
- Mobius Sync on iOS is paid, one-time or subscription depending on tier.
- vs Obsidian Sync: free forever after the iOS bridge is paid for once.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Stop Obsidian Sync, point Syncthing at your vault folder on every device, accept the shared folder ID on each end. A mid-size vault takes minutes to converge. Conflict files appear with a suffix instead of merging, so commit-and-pull discipline still matters.
Bottom line: The right Obsidian Sync vs Syncthing pick if you have at least one always-on device and you are comfortable whitelisting the app in your battery settings.
iCloud Drive — best for iPhone and Mac users
iCloud Drive is the path of least resistance for anyone living inside Apple’s ecosystem. The iOS Obsidian app supports iCloud as a first-class vault location, so the vault syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with zero configuration. Windows users can join via the official iCloud client.
Where it falls short: Linux and Android have no first-party client. Sync stalls are common on iCloud during heavy upload windows, and the free 5 GB tier fills up quickly once a vault picks up attachments.
Pricing:
- Free 5 GB with any Apple ID.
- iCloud+ from $0.99/month for 50 GB, up to higher tiers with iCloud+ features.
- vs Obsidian Sync: cheaper if you already pay for iCloud+ storage, but useless if you have Android in the mix.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Move the vault folder into the Obsidian iCloud container on one device, open the vault on the others using the iCloud option. The Mac client handles versioning automatically.
Bottom line: The Obsidian Sync vs iCloud pick when every device you own runs Apple silicon.
Google Drive via Remotely Save — best for existing Google accounts
Google Drive does not natively sync an Obsidian vault, but the community plugin Remotely Save bridges the gap. Install Remotely Save from inside Obsidian, point it at your Google Drive account, and the plugin syncs on app open, on a timer, or on demand. The same plugin also supports Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, and S3.
Where it falls short: It is not real-time. Two devices editing the same note before a sync will conflict. The Drive free tier is 15 GB, shared with Gmail and Photos.
Pricing:
- Free up to 15 GB across the whole Google account.
- Google One from $1.99/month for 100 GB.
- vs Obsidian Sync: cheaper than Obsidian Sync Standard if you already pay for Google One, and the storage does double duty.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Disable Obsidian Sync, install Remotely Save, choose Google Drive as the remote, run a first full sync. The first round takes longest because every note is uploaded fresh.
Bottom line: The Obsidian Sync vs Google Drive pick when you already pay Google for storage and you can live with manual or scheduled sync.
Dropbox via Remotely Save — best for boring reliability
Dropbox is the same Remotely Save story with a different backend. The Dropbox sync engine has decades of conflict-resolution work behind it, the desktop client is rock solid, and the Android and iOS clients keep the vault folder accessible outside Obsidian for quick edits in other apps.
Where it falls short: The free tier is 2 GB, which a vault with attachments exhausts faster than people expect. No end-to-end encryption.
Pricing:
- Free 2 GB.
- Plus from around $11.99/month for 2 TB billed yearly.
- vs Obsidian Sync: pricier per month, but the storage is general-purpose and the paid tier covers far more than a vault.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Install the Dropbox desktop app, drop the vault into the Dropbox folder, point Remotely Save at Dropbox on mobile. Conflict files appear with the device name appended if two phones edit the same note offline.
Bottom line: The Obsidian Sync vs Dropbox pick when sync conflicts have to be obvious and recoverable, even if you forget which device you edited on last.
Termux plus Git — best for developers who want history
Termux turns an Android phone into a small Unix box. Install Git, clone a vault from GitHub, GitLab, or a private SSH server, and use the Obsidian Git community plugin to commit on save or on a schedule. You get full version history, branchable experiments, and a vault that lives wherever you can run git pull.
Where it falls short: It is a developer setup. Merge conflicts in notes look like merge conflicts in code, with markers in the text. Termux is no longer published as a current build on the Play Store, so F-Droid or Aptoide is the right install path.
Pricing:
- Free across all components.
- A Git host like GitHub Free is enough; private repos cost nothing.
- vs Obsidian Sync: free and gives you real version history Obsidian Sync does not.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Initialize the vault as a Git repo on desktop, push to a remote, clone with Termux, set the Obsidian Git plugin to auto-pull on app open and auto-push on a timer. On iOS, Working Copy fills the same role.
Bottom line: The Obsidian Sync vs Git pick when you want a commit log alongside your notes and you already think in branches.
Self-hosted LiveSync — best for real-time multi-device sync
Self-hosted LiveSync is the community plugin closest in feel to Obsidian Sync itself. It uses a CouchDB or compatible backend you run yourself, and replicates vault changes in real time across every device that opens the vault. End-to-end encryption is on by default, keyed by a passphrase you choose.
Where it falls short: You have to run a server. Free hosting tiers from IBM Cloudant or a small VPS handle a personal vault, but the setup is the most involved on this list. Conflicts can compound if devices are offline for long stretches.
Pricing:
- Plugin is free and open-source.
- Hosting costs vary: zero on a home server, a few dollars a month on a small VPS.
- vs Obsidian Sync: cheaper than Obsidian Sync Plus and the only option here with true real-time replication.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Spin up a CouchDB instance, install Self-hosted LiveSync in Obsidian, paste the connection string and passphrase on every device, run an initial replication.
Download: Install the Self-hosted LiveSync plugin from inside Obsidian under Community plugins. No separate app is needed.
Bottom line: The Obsidian Sync vs LiveSync pick when you want every keystroke to land on every device, encrypted, and you do not mind running a server.
Resilio Sync — best closed P2P with a polished client
Resilio Sync is the commercial sibling of the protocol Syncthing forked from. The Android client is more forgiving with battery optimization, NAT punching works in places where Syncthing stalls, and the share model uses link-based keys that are easy to hand to a second device.
Where it falls short: Closed-source. Advanced features like selective sync and bigger team shares sit behind paid tiers. iOS support exists but is not as polished as the desktop and Android clients.
Pricing:
- Free for personal use, with paid Home Pro and Family plans for more shares and selective sync.
- vs Obsidian Sync: free for a single vault, and a one-time paid tier still beats a recurring monthly bill.
Migrating from Obsidian Sync: Add the vault folder as a Resilio share on desktop, accept the share key on each device, let it index. Existing files are matched by hash, so the first sync mostly verifies rather than re-uploads.
Bottom line: The Obsidian Sync vs Resilio pick when you want Syncthing-style P2P but you want it to feel like a finished product.
How to choose
Pick Syncthing if you have at least one always-on machine and you want sync to cost zero forever. The Android battery quirks are real but solvable.
Pick iCloud Drive if every device in your sync graph is made by Apple. The setup is the closest thing to no setup at all.
Pick Google Drive through Remotely Save if you already pay for Google One and you can live with sync on app open rather than continuous.
Pick Dropbox if you have been burned by sync conflicts before and you want the most mature client on the market handling it.
Pick Termux plus Git if you want a commit history alongside your notes. The learning curve is real, but version control of notes is a different category of tool.
Pick Self-hosted LiveSync if you want the real-time feel of Obsidian Sync without paying Obsidian for it, and you are comfortable running a small server.
Pick Resilio Sync if Syncthing is the right shape but the Android client keeps misbehaving on your device. The closed-source trade-off is the catch.
Stay on Obsidian Sync if you actively want zero setup, the official end-to-end encryption story, and you do not mind the monthly bill. It is genuinely the easiest path for users with one vault and no homelab instincts.
FAQ
Is Obsidian Sync worth it in 2026?
If you want plug-and-play sync with end-to-end encryption and zero infrastructure, yes. If you already use iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or run a home server, you have free or near-free alternatives that match it on every dimension except convenience.
Can I use Syncthing to sync my Obsidian vault?
Yes. Point Syncthing at the vault folder on every device, share the folder ID, and your vault syncs over the local network or the public discovery protocol. The trick on Android is whitelisting Syncthing in your battery optimization settings so the background service is not killed.
What is the cheapest Obsidian Sync alternative?
Syncthing and Termux plus Git are both free with no recurring cost. Self-hosted LiveSync is free as a plugin and free to host on a home machine. iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox are free up to their respective storage tiers.
Does Obsidian Sync encrypt my notes?
Yes. Obsidian Sync uses end-to-end encryption by default, with the key derived from a password you set. The alternatives differ: Self-hosted LiveSync also supports end-to-end encryption, Syncthing and Resilio Sync encrypt in transit only, and Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and iCloud encrypt at rest under the provider’s keys.
Can I run an Obsidian vault from my phone alone?
Yes. The XDA piece on Claude Dispatch is one example, but the simpler approach is to keep the vault in a folder on your phone and edit it directly with the Obsidian Android app. Sync only becomes a question when you want a second device to share the same vault.
What is the best free alternative to Obsidian Sync?
For most users, Syncthing is the answer. It is free, open-source, end-to-end in transit, and the Android client is mature. The catch is needing at least one always-on device to keep the mesh reachable.
