Caldera vs Obsidian Publish
Caldera and Obsidian Publish do different jobs. Obsidian Publish is Obsidian's official paid service ($8 per site per month billed annually or $10 billed monthly, as listed on obsidian.md in November 2026) that turns the notes you choose into a full website with search, a graph view and your own domain. Caldera is a free, open-source Obsidian plugin that publishes a living profile about you and your work (journal, activity, projects and the notes you mark public) and adds follows, friends and end-to-end encrypted note sharing. If you want your notes to be a website, choose Publish. If you want a page about you that updates itself and a way to connect with other Obsidian users, choose Caldera.
Updated 2026-11-10 · by mjonesone, LLC
Side by side
| Obsidian Publish | Caldera | |
|---|---|---|
| What goes online | The notes you pick, as a website | A profile about you: journal, activity, projects, topics, and notes you mark caldera: public (title and first paragraph) |
| Price | $8 per site per month billed annually, $10 billed monthly (obsidian.md, November 2026) | Free |
| Refunds and discounts | Full refund within 7 days; 40% off for students, faculty and nonprofit employees | Nothing to refund |
| Your own domain | Yes (set up through Cloudflare or a proxy, per Obsidian Help) | Not yet: pages live at caldera.social/@you; you can export your profile as a static folder and host it yourself |
| Search and graph of your notes | Full-text search and graph view of the site | A small local graph of note names you choose; no full-text search of your notes |
| Themes | Customizable with CSS and JavaScript | Caldera's own design; you add your own sections as Markdown notes |
| Hosting | Hosted by Obsidian, up to 4 GB per site | Hosted free at caldera.social, or run your own hub (open source) |
| People | Readers visit your site | Follow members, become friends, message, join groups, a People directory |
| Private sharing | Password-protected sites | Send any note to one friend, end-to-end encrypted, into their own vault |
| Source code | Official Obsidian service | MIT plugin, AGPL hub, open protocol |
Obsidian Publish facts as listed on obsidian.md/pricing, obsidian.md/publish and Obsidian Help, checked November 10, 2026.
Where Obsidian Publish is better
- A real notes website. Hundreds of full notes, linked and searchable, with a graph view. Caldera does not publish your notes as pages.
- Your own domain. Publish supports custom domains today. Caldera may offer them later as an optional paid feature.
- Polished docs and knowledge bases. Custom themes with CSS and JavaScript, and a team can maintain one site together.
- Official and built in. It is made by the Obsidian team, built into the app, and includes priority support.
Where Caldera is better
- Free and open source. No subscription, and you can self-host the hub.
- It updates itself. Your page is built on your device from your vault and republished automatically: journal, activity heatmap, projects and, if you code, a GitHub city.
- Private by default. Nothing leaves your vault unless you switch a section on, mark a note public or share it with a named friend.
- Other people. Follow and message other Obsidian users and share notes privately, end-to-end encrypted.
Use both
Many people want both: a notes site and a page about themselves. Publish your notes with Obsidian Publish, then add the site to the links line in Caldera/profile.md so your Caldera profile points to it. For other free ways to put notes online, see free alternatives to Obsidian Publish; for what the paid plans cost, see how much Obsidian Publish costs.
Questions
Is Caldera a replacement for Obsidian Publish?
Not for a notes website. Caldera publishes a profile about you and lists only notes you mark caldera: public, showing their title and first paragraph. To publish many full notes as a website, Obsidian Publish or a static-site tool fits better.
How much does Obsidian Publish cost compared with Caldera?
Obsidian Publish is $8 per site per month billed annually or $10 billed monthly, as listed on obsidian.md in November 2026. Caldera is free and open source.
Can I use my own domain with Caldera?
Not yet. Profiles live at caldera.social/@yourhandle. You can export your profile to a static folder and host it wherever you like, or run your own hub. Obsidian Publish supports custom domains today.
Can I use Caldera and Obsidian Publish together?
Yes. Publish your notes with Obsidian Publish and add the site to the links in Caldera/profile.md, so your Caldera profile links to it.