Obsidian vs Khoj ai
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $0-$0/user/mo on Obsidian.
Side-by-side
| Obsidian | Khoj ai (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0-$0/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Obsidian's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Obsidian controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (AGPL-3.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 71 / 100 |
Why teams leave Obsidian
Khoj ai answers this by: Open-source alternatives that can replace Obsidian.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Obsidian at the midpoint price ($0/user/mo).
| Period | Obsidian | Khoj ai on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $4.13 | $-4.13 |
| Yearly | $0 | $49.56 | $-49.56 |
| 3 years | $0 | $149 | $-149 |
Deploy Khoj ai now
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Common questions
Is Khoj ai a good alternative to Obsidian?
Khoj ai is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Obsidian with an ossreplace health score of 71/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the AGPL-3.0 license, versus Obsidian's $0–0/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Khoj ai than Obsidian?
A 5-person team pays about $0/mo on Obsidian. Self-hosting Khoj ai on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $-149 less over three years (-Infinity% lower).
Is Khoj ai hard to self-host?
Khoj ai self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Khoj ai vs Obsidian?
Yes. Because Khoj ai runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Obsidian, Obsidian controls the hosting, storage, and access.