How to Monetize an Obsidian Plugin (Within the Rules)

Short answer: You can charge for an Obsidian plugin and stay listed, but Obsidian will not collect the money for you. Sell a licence key, an account or a hosted service through your own payment provider, say so clearly in your README, and pick the right pricing label (Free, Optional payments or Paid) in the developer dashboard. For most plugin makers the best model is a useful free core plus a paid tier, sold through a merchant of record that issues licence keys.

Every policy line, price and limit below comes from Obsidian's own docs and blog or the vendor's own page, checked on 10 Nov 2026. The advice in between is ours and is marked as such.

TL;DR#

• Paid plugins are allowed. Obsidian's launch post for its new directory says "Obsidian Community is not a store, and does not offer any built-in payment solutions," and that developers "can continue to use external payment mechanisms such as license keys, API keys, and login gates" (Obsidian blog).
• Disclose or be removed. Payment, required accounts and network use are "only allowed if clearly indicated in your README" (Developer policies).
• Hard bans: obfuscated code, dynamic ads loaded over the internet, static ads outside your own interface and client-side telemetry.
• Donations go in the manifest's fundingUrl field (Manifest reference).
• Fees: Lemon Squeezy, Paddle and Polar Starter are 5% + 50¢ per transaction; Gumroad is 10% + 50¢ on direct sales; Keygen is a flat fee with a free Dev tier.

Disclosure: ZeroRaised is a launch site for bootstrapped products. We have no commercial relationship with Obsidian or any payment or licensing tool named here and earn nothing if you sign up. This is not legal or tax advice.

What Obsidian's rules actually say#

The developer policies#

Obsidian's developer policies apply to every plugin in the official directory, and plugins that break them "will be removed from the directory." The policies say plugins must not:

• "Obfuscate code to hide its purpose."
• "Insert dynamic ads that are loaded over the internet."
• "Insert static ads outside a plugin's own interface."
• "Include client-side telemetry."
• "Install or update themselves or their dependencies."

The disclosures list is where monetization lives. These are "only allowed if clearly indicated in your README":

• "Payment is required for full access."
• "An account is required for full access."
• "Network use. Clearly explain which remote services are used and why they're needed."
• "Static ads such as banners and pop-up messages within the plugin's own interface."
• "Server-side telemetry. Link to a privacy policy that explains how the data is handled must be included."
• "Close sourced code. This will be handled on a case by case basis."

Every plugin must also "Include a LICENSE file and clearly indicate the license of your plugin," and must not use the Obsidian trademark in a way that suggests a first-party product.

Our read: an online licence check is network use, so disclose it. Count activations on your server, never inside the plugin.

The pricing labels#

The Obsidian Community launch post, published 12 May 2026, added labels for paid plugins. Developers "must accurately label plugins under one of these three categories":

You set the label in the developer dashboard. The same post says every submission now gets automated policy, malware and vulnerability checks, shown on a public scorecard.

One consequence that catches people out: a "bring your own OpenAI key" plugin is Optional payments, not Free, because it connects to a paid API.

The submission requirements#

The plugin submission requirements add two points that matter here. First: "Use fundingUrl if you accept financial support for your plugin, using services like Buy Me A Coffee or GitHub Sponsors. If you don't accept donations, remove fundingUrl from your manifest." Second, Node.js and Electron APIs only work on desktop, so a plugin that uses them "must set isDesktopOnly to true." The docs suggest Web API alternatives, such as SubtleCrypto instead of Node's crypto. That matters if you verify licence signatures and want the plugin to run on mobile too.

Six ways to monetize an Obsidian plugin#

1. Donations#

Add fundingUrl to manifest.json. It can be one URL or an object of named links (Manifest reference):

{
  "fundingUrl": {
    "Buy Me a Coffee": "https://buymeacoffee.com/yourname",
    "GitHub Sponsor": "https://github.com/sponsors/yourname"
  }
}

An Obsidian forum staff member explained that once a plugin is installed, users find a Donate button in its settings. GitHub Sponsors is the cheapest route: "GitHub Sponsors does not charge any fees for sponsorships from personal accounts," while sponsorships from organization accounts carry a fee of up to 6% (GitHub Docs). Our guide on how to make money from open source covers sponsorship tiers and how to ask without nagging.

2. Freemium with a licence key#

Ship a complete free tier, gate advanced features behind a key, and label the plugin Optional payments. A live example is Bases Power Pack, whose README offers a free Lite tier and a Premium tier at "$29 one-time, not a subscription," sold through Buy Me a Coffee. The README says the key is emailed automatically and that you "Paste the key → unlocks instantly, offline," with "No account, no server."

3. Subscription with an online licence#

Prisma Calendar's Free vs Pro page shows the subscription version. After subscribing you receive a licence key, and the settings show an offline expiry of "7 days from the last verification, which refreshes automatically in the background while you're online," plus device limits managed from an account page.

4. A paid hosted service#

If your plugin does sync, AI, publishing or anything that needs a server, charge for the service and keep the plugin open. Copilot for Obsidian takes this route: its README says the plugin "is open source and works without a Copilot license when you use your own agent account, provider key, or local model," while "Paid access can include Copilot-hosted models and cloud-backed tools."

5 and 6. Sponsorship and work around the plugin#

Paid templates, a course or custom plugin work can earn more than the plugin itself, and the plugin stays Free.

Licence checks: offline, online, and code people can read#

Obsidian bans obfuscation, so assume users can read your licence check. That changes the design.

• Offline signed keys. You sign a key on your server with a private key, and the plugin verifies it with a public key bundled in the code. No network call, works on a plane, and no extra README disclosure for network use. Anyone can patch the check out, so treat it as a polite lock.
• Online validation with a grace period. The plugin calls your licence provider at startup and caches the result for a few days, as Prisma Calendar does. You get revocation and device limits, at the cost of disclosing network use.
• Server-side value. If the paid feature runs on your server, there is nothing to patch. This is the only model where piracy is not a real question.

Our read: for a cheap one-time licence, offline keys are fine; spend the time on features instead. Our VS Code extension monetization guide covers the same trade-off.

Payment and licence tools compared#

Prices from each vendor's own page, checked 10 Nov 2026.

Notes on the details:

• Lemon Squeezy generates "a unique license key... for each customer that purchases the product," with activation limits per product or variant (docs). Its License API lets you "activate, validate or deactivate a license key" and is rate limited to 60 requests per minute.
• Polar licence keys support a "Limited number of user activations, e.g devices" and "Automatic revocation when a subscription ends" (docs). Organizations created on or after 27 May 2026 start on Starter at 5% + 50¢; paid plans lower the rate, for example Pro at 3.8% + 40¢ for $20/mo.
• Keygen's free Dev tier "allows up to 100 active licensed users (ALUs) and 10 product releases," and there is "a free self-hosted option, Keygen CE." Paid tier prices did not load when we checked, so see the page.
• Stripe served us its UK page, so the rate shown is the UK card rate.

For the bigger picture on merchants of record versus processors, see our guide to selling software online.

Worked example: a $29 Premium tier#

This is our illustrative arithmetic, not real sales data. Say 100 people buy a $29 one-time licence, all paying with US cards.

On Polar, non-US cards add 1.5%, about $0.44 per sale. Payout fees can also apply. Our read: the gap between Gumroad and the 5% + 50¢ group is $145 per 100 sales; beyond that, licence features and tax handling matter more than fees.

Mistakes to avoid#

1. Wrong label. A BYOK AI plugin labelled Free breaks the rule that anything connecting to a paid API is Optional payments.
2. Hiding the paywall. If the README does not say payment is required for full access, you are outside the policy.
3. Telemetry in the plugin. Count licences on your server and link a privacy policy instead.
4. Remote ads or upsell banners outside your own settings tab or views. Dynamic ads are banned outright; static ads must stay inside your interface.
5. Node-only crypto. Using Node's crypto for licence checks forces isDesktopOnly: true and locks out mobile buyers.
6. Paywalling the reason people installed it. Our read: users already treat the plugin as free. Gate new, advanced features, not features they rely on today.

Checklist before you turn on payments#

• Free tier is useful on its own
• README states that payment is required for full access, and which features are paid
• README lists every remote service the plugin calls and why
• Privacy policy linked if your server logs anything about users
• Pricing label set correctly in the developer dashboard
• LICENSE file present and compatible with a paid tier
• No obfuscated code, no client-side telemetry, no remote ads
• fundingUrl only links to support services, or is removed
• Licence check survives a few days offline and works on mobile, or isDesktopOnly is set

Frequently asked questions#

Are paid plugins allowed in the Obsidian Community directory?#

Yes. Obsidian's launch post for Obsidian Community says it is not a store and offers no built-in payments, but developers can use external mechanisms such as license keys, API keys and login gates. You must label the plugin as Free, Optional payments or Paid, and the developer policies require you to disclose in your README that payment is required for full access.

What is the difference between Optional payments and Paid?#

Obsidian defines Optional payments as users optionally paying to unlock additional features, or the plugin connecting to a paid service, even if that service has a free tier. Paid means users must pay to use the plugin's primary features, even if there is a free trial. A plugin with only donation or sponsorship links counts as Free.

How do I add a donate button to my Obsidian plugin?#

Add a fundingUrl field to manifest.json. It can be a single URL or an object of named URLs, for example Buy Me a Coffee, GitHub Sponsors and Patreon. Obsidian's submission requirements say to use fundingUrl only for financial support services, and to remove it if you do not accept donations.

Can my Obsidian plugin be closed source?#

Obsidian's developer policies list closed source code as a disclosure, saying it will be handled on a case by case basis, and every plugin must include a LICENSE file. Obfuscating code to hide its purpose is not allowed. Our read: plan on readable source and a licence that permits your paid model.

Which payment tool should I use to sell an Obsidian plugin licence?#

For most solo developers a merchant of record with built-in licence keys is the shortest path. Lemon Squeezy and Polar both generate keys with activation limits and offer validation APIs, and each charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction (Polar's Starter plan). If you already handle sales tax yourself, Keygen adds licensing for a flat fee and has a free tier of up to 100 active licensed users.

Launch your paid tier#

A Pro tier is a launch, not just a settings change. Our guide on how to launch a bootstrapped app covers the announcement, the first week and where to post. ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC: submit your plugin or its companion service for free when the paid tier goes live. For more guides on earning from developer tools without investors, join the ZeroRaised newsletter.

Sources#

• Obsidian: Developer policies, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Obsidian: Submission requirements for plugins, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Obsidian: Manifest reference, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Obsidian blog: The future of Obsidian plugins, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Obsidian forum: Revenue program for developers?, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• GitHub Docs: About GitHub Sponsors, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Bases Power Pack README, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Prisma Calendar: Free vs Pro, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Copilot for Obsidian README, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Lemon Squeezy pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Lemon Squeezy: Generating license keys, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Lemon Squeezy License API, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Paddle pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Polar fees, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Polar license keys, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Gumroad pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Keygen pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026
• Stripe pricing, last checked 10 Nov 2026