Softwr

Documentation · head to head

HelpDocs vs Obsidian

HelpDocs logo

HelpDocs

Documentation

Self-service help centre software priced by number of editors, not by readers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Obsidian logo

Obsidian

Research

A powerful knowledge base on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Obsidian has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: HelpDocs it is a knowledge base only, so a company still needs a separate ticketing or chat tool for any support that is not fully self-service; Obsidian sync is a paid add-on at $4 per month billed annually rather than part of the app
  • They diverge on capability: HelpDocs covers Editor-only seat pricing, Obsidian covers Bidirectional linking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HelpDocs and Obsidian actually diverge.

Attributes where HelpDocs and Obsidian differ
AttributeHelpDocsObsidian
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer editor seat per monthUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
CategoryDocumentationResearch
FoundedUnknown2020

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in HelpDocs

  • Editor-only seat pricing
  • AI drafting and credits
  • Search analytics
  • Custom branding and domain
  • Multi-language content

Only in Obsidian

  • Bidirectional linking
  • Graph view visualization
  • Markdown support
  • Local file storage
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Custom CSS themes
  • Templates
  • Search and tags

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

HelpDocs

  • A SaaS support team that wants a public, brandable help centre separate from its ticketing toolnot Obsidian
  • A product team publishing release notes and how-to articles that needs unlimited free readers with only a handful of paid writer seatsnot Obsidian
  • A company scaling its support content team that wants cost tied to writer headcount rather than customer or ticket volumenot Obsidian
  • A team wanting AI-assisted drafting of support articles without adopting a full AI-enabled helpdesk suitenot Obsidian

Obsidian

  • Local-first markdown note taking with no account requirednot HelpDocs
  • Linking notes into a personal knowledge graphnot HelpDocs
  • Syncing a vault across devices with end-to-end encryption on the paid add-onnot HelpDocs
  • Publishing a public site from a vaultnot HelpDocs
  • Extending the editor with community pluginsnot HelpDocs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

HelpDocs

  • It is a knowledge base only, so a company still needs a separate ticketing or chat tool for any support that is not fully self-service
  • Extra editor seats above a plan's included count cost $25 each per month, which adds up quickly for a growing content team on the Harvest tier
  • AI credits are capped per plan and reset monthly, so a heavy AI-drafting workflow can exhaust the allowance before the billing period ends
  • Moving from Sprout to Bloom to add editors is a large jump in absolute price, not a smooth per-seat increment, since each tier is a fixed bundle rather than pay-per-seat
  • There is no free tier, only a 14-day trial, so a small team wanting to test long-term usage patterns has a short evaluation window
  • Being editor-priced means it does not scale cost with help centre traffic or ticket deflection value delivered, so a high-traffic help site pays the same as a low-traffic one with the same editor count

Obsidian

  • Sync is a paid add-on at $4 per month billed annually rather than part of the app
  • Publishing to the web is a further $8 per month per site
  • Commercial use asks for a $50 per user per year licence, though the vendor states it is not required
  • Collaboration is limited compared with a hosted notes tool, since the vault is local files first

Pricing, plan by plan

HelpDocs

On request
  • Sprout$99/month
    • 5 editors
    • 1,000 AI credits/month
  • Bloom$239/month
    • 15 editors
    • 5,000 AI credits/month
  • Harvest$399/month
    • 25 editors
    • 10,000 AI credits/month
    • Extra editors at $25/month each

Obsidian

Free
  • Obsidian Sync$4/month
    • Sync notes across devices
  • Obsidian Publish$8/month
    • Turn notes into a website

Which should you pick?

Choose HelpDocs if

  • You need editor-only seat pricing.
  • You also want ai drafting and credits.
HelpDocs review

Choose Obsidian if

  • You need bidirectional linking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want graph view visualization.
Obsidian review

Questions people ask

Is HelpDocs or Obsidian better?
Neither clearly leads. HelpDocs starts at On request and Obsidian at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HelpDocs or Obsidian?
Obsidian has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for HelpDocs and Free for Obsidian.
Does HelpDocs or Obsidian run on more platforms?
HelpDocs runs on Web. Obsidian runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
Can I use Obsidian for free?
Yes. Obsidian has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HelpDocs starts at On request.
What is HelpDocs best used for?
HelpDocs is most often used for a saas support team that wants a public, brandable help centre separate from its ticketing tool, a product team publishing release notes and how-to articles that needs unlimited free readers with only a handful of paid writer seats, a company scaling its support content team that wants cost tied to writer headcount rather than customer or ticket volume, a team wanting ai-assisted drafting of support articles without adopting a full ai-enabled helpdesk suite. Of those, a saas support team that wants a public, brandable help centre separate from its ticketing tool and a product team publishing release notes and how-to articles that needs unlimited free readers with only a handful of paid writer seats are not what Obsidian is typically brought in for.
What can HelpDocs do that Obsidian cannot?
HelpDocs covers Editor-only seat pricing, AI drafting and credits, Search analytics, Custom branding and domain. Obsidian covers Bidirectional linking, Graph view visualization, Markdown support, Local file storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HelpDocs: Are readers of the help centre charged for?

No, HelpDocs charges only for editors who log in to write and manage content; anonymous readers are unlimited and free.

Obsidian: Is Obsidian free?

Yes. The core Obsidian application is 100% free for personal and commercial use with no limitations. You can use unlimited vaults and every core feature without payment.

Source
HelpDocs: Is there a free plan?

No, HelpDocs offers a 14-day free trial rather than a permanent free tier.

Obsidian: What file format does Obsidian use?

Obsidian stores every note as a plain Markdown file. Because it uses standard Markdown instead of a proprietary format, your notes remain portable and can be edited with many other Markdown editors.

Source
HelpDocs: Does HelpDocs include ticketing or live chat?

No, it is a knowledge base and help centre product only; it integrates with tools like Zendesk and Intercom for ticketing.

Obsidian: Can I collaborate with others in Obsidian?

The core application does not include built-in team collaboration features. However, Obsidian offers optional add-ons and can be used with version control systems or cloud storage for collaboration.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on HelpDocs

More on Obsidian

Keep looking

Other head to heads