Can I vibecode Obsidian Sync?

YES · one-shottable

price $5/moyou'd save $60/yrbuild time one sittingcategory 🧠 notes & knowledgereplaced by 16 people

If you already accept local Markdown files, syncing folders across devices is a solved problem; the hard part is not the app, it is conflict-free convenience.

the prompt

Build me a sync setup for my Obsidian vault to replace Obsidian Sync. Requirements:

- This is plumbing, not an app: the vault is a folder of Markdown files, sync it with
  git. Syncthing is the zero-history alternative; use git here because I want history.
- A small watcher (Node + chokidar + simple-git, or a plain bash script on a
  systemd/launchd timer, pick the simpler) that debounces 30 seconds after the last
  change, commits with an auto message, and pushes to a private GitHub repo.
- On start and every 5 minutes: pull with rebase. On conflict, never lose data: write
  the incoming version as <name>.conflict-YYYY-MM-DD.md, keep mine in place, and log it.
- .gitignore for .obsidian/workspace* and .trash so device-local state does not ping-
  pong between machines.
- A `vaultsync status` command showing last push/pull time and any outstanding conflict
  files.
- Mobile: point a git client (Working Copy on iOS, MGit on Android) at the same repo.
  Document that in the README, do not build mobile anything.
- The repo stays private; token in .env or the system git credential helper. No accounts
  beyond GitHub, no telemetry, notes stay plain Markdown on disk.
- Out of scope: an encrypted-vault workflow and a version-history UI. git log is the
  history.
- README: second-machine setup steps and the conflict-file convention.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

why people still pay

They pay for no-drama sync across devices while keeping Obsidian's local-first model.

what you lose

xofficial mobile sync polish

xconflict handling

xversion history UI

xencrypted vault workflow

xObsidian support

share on X ↗"I just replaced Obsidian Sync ($5/mo) with one prompt"

the escape hatch

Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.

SyncthingSyncs the vault directly between computers; iPhones remain the awkward relative.87kaug 2026open source↗

NextcloudYour own cloud, complete with the privilege of maintaining your own cloud.36kaug 2026open source↗

iCloud DriveFive free gigabytes and excellent Apple plumbing; everyone else gets a side door.$0free↗

all 3 free alternatives to Obsidian Sync →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

the numbers

Obsidian Sync pricing

plan	monthly	annual (per mo)	what you get
obsidian app	$0	$0	Free local Markdown app; 0 GB of hosted Sync storage included.
sync standard	$5/user	$4/user	1 synced vault, 1 GB storage, 5 MB maximum file size, 1-month version history and unlimited devices.
sync plus	$10/user	$8/user	10 synced vaults, 10 GB storage, 200 MB maximum file size, 12-month version history and unlimited devices.

free tierno free Sync tier; the Obsidian app itself is free and stores local Markdown files

billingmonthly + annual (20% off); 7-day refund window

hidden costsEvery collaborator on a shared vault needs their own Sync subscription. Optional storage above 10 GB costs extra, but the current public amount was not found.

verified 2026-08-11 · source ↗

questions

Is Obsidian Sync free?

Sync itself has no free tier, though the Obsidian app is free. Paid is Sync at $5/mo (checked 2026-08-07).