EiraSync vs. Obsidian Sync: Which Is Better for Your Vault?
Compare EiraSync and Obsidian Sync for syncing Obsidian across devices. Learn how they differ in architecture, privacy, pricing, setup, flexibility, and who each solution is best suited for.
Simon
By default, Obsidian stores your notes locally as plain text files. While this is great for data ownership, it means you need a solution to keep your vault synchronized across your phone, tablet, and multiple computers.
Two popular options for achieving this are Obsidian Sync and EiraSync. Both can solve the problem of keeping an Obsidian vault synchronized across devices, but they take very different approaches. EiraSync is not a replacement for Obsidian itself, nor is it a replacement for the LiveSync community plugin. Instead, EiraSync provides a managed CouchDB backend designed for the open-source Self-hosted LiveSync plugin.
This guide will help you understand their architectures so you can choose the one that fits your technical preferences.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | EiraSync | Obsidian Sync |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | EiraSync | Official Obsidian service |
| Sync client | Open-source LiveSync plugin | Built into Obsidian |
| Backend | Managed CouchDB | Obsidian's infrastructure |
| Underlying tech self-hostable | ✅ (via LiveSync/CouchDB directly) | ❌ |
| End-to-end encryption | ✅ | ✅ |
| Infrastructure | Managed CouchDB on EU infrastructure | Managed infrastructure operated by Obsidian |
| Cross-platform | ✅ | ✅ |
| Setup complexity | More involved | Very simple |
| Technical control | Higher | Lower |
| Best suited for | LiveSync users who don't want to self-host | Users who want the simplest setup |
1. How Obsidian Sync Works
Obsidian Sync is the official synchronization service provided by the Obsidian team. It is built directly into the core Obsidian application. It is designed around convenience: synchronization is integrated directly into Obsidian, so there is no separate backend or community plugin to configure. The Obsidian team owns and operates the entire underlying infrastructure.
It is the simplest option if you want Obsidian itself to handle your synchronization out of the box.
2. How EiraSync Works
EiraSync relies on the open-source community plugin Self-hosted LiveSync to handle the actual syncing of your notes.
LiveSync requires a CouchDB database to function. Usually, this means you have to deploy, secure, and maintain your own server. EiraSync provides that managed CouchDB infrastructure. We handle the server provisioning, updates, and backups, while the open-source LiveSync plugin remains your sync client.
3. The Real Difference: Simplicity vs. Control
If you like the LiveSync architecture, you essentially have a spectrum of choices balancing technical control and simplicity.
- Obsidian Sync: Optimizes for ultimate simplicity. You have less control over the underlying infrastructure.
- Self-hosted LiveSync: Gives you maximum control and privacy, but requires server administration knowledge.
- LiveSync + EiraSync: The middle ground. You get the LiveSync ecosystem and flexibility, but outsource the server administration.
4. EiraSync Is Not a Replacement for LiveSync
The terminology can be confusing because these are different layers:
- Obsidian is the application.
- LiveSync is the open-source synchronization plugin.
- CouchDB is the database LiveSync communicates with.
- EiraSync provides and manages that CouchDB infrastructure for you.
- Obsidian Sync is a separate, official synchronization solution built into Obsidian.
5. Privacy & Encryption
Both Obsidian Sync and EiraSync support end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
With EiraSync, the encryption is handled by the LiveSync plugin directly on your device.
- LiveSync encrypts your data locally.
- The encrypted synchronization data is sent to EiraSync.
- EiraSync does not receive or store your E2EE passphrase.
- EiraSync stores and synchronizes the resulting encrypted data.
Important distinction: EiraSync is not inherently "more secure" just because it is a third-party service. The primary advantage is simply that you get to use the LiveSync encryption model and open-source client while outsourcing the server infrastructure.
6. Infrastructure & Data Location
- EiraSync: EiraSync currently runs its control plane on Supabase infrastructure in Frankfurt and its synchronization data plane on Hetzner infrastructure in Germany. Every vault gets an isolated database with automatic daily backups.
- Obsidian Sync: Operates on the official infrastructure maintained by the Obsidian team, managing global data routing to ensure fast syncing worldwide.
7. Setup Experience
If ease of use is your primary concern, Obsidian Sync wins this category. You simply install Obsidian, enable the core Sync plugin, sign in to your account, and start syncing.
EiraSync requires more steps. You need to create an account, create a vault database in your dashboard, install the LiveSync plugin in Obsidian, and paste the auto-generated Setup URI to connect your devices. Our setup tutorial walks through the process.
EiraSync removes server administration, but configuring the LiveSync plugin remains part of the initial workflow.
8. Flexibility & Ownership
Because EiraSync uses standard CouchDB and the open-source LiveSync client, your vault is not tied to a proprietary EiraSync format. Your local Markdown files remain the source files on your devices, and you can migrate to your own CouchDB infrastructure later. See our migration guide if you are moving from iCloud or Dropbox.
You also retain a high degree of technical flexibility through the granular sync settings provided by LiveSync.
9. Pricing
- Obsidian Sync: Offers different pricing tiers based on storage needs and feature sets, billed either monthly or annually.
- EiraSync: €5/month or €29/year (Early Bird; list price €36/year) at the time of writing, including up to 3 vaults, 3 GB storage, and unlimited devices.
Prices and limits may change. Check the respective official pricing pages before making a decision.
10. Which Should You Choose?
Choose Obsidian Sync if...
- You want the simplest possible setup experience.
- You prefer using an official Obsidian product.
- You do not want to configure a community plugin.
Choose EiraSync if...
- You specifically want to use the LiveSync plugin architecture.
- You want a CouchDB backend without the hassle of self-hosting.
- You care about your infrastructure being hosted specifically in the EU.
Choose self-hosted LiveSync if...
- You enjoy running your own infrastructure and want maximum control over the server environment.
When EiraSync may not be the right choice
EiraSync may not be the best fit if you want synchronization to be completely integrated into Obsidian with as little configuration as possible. In that case, Obsidian Sync is likely the better option.
Likewise, if you enjoy running your own servers and want complete control over the backend, self-hosting LiveSync may make more sense.
Final Verdict
EiraSync is not intended to replace Obsidian Sync for everyone.
If you want the simplest possible experience and prefer an integrated, official solution, Obsidian Sync is probably the better choice.
If you enjoy managing your own infrastructure, self-hosted LiveSync gives you the most control.
If you like LiveSync but don't want to maintain CouchDB yourself, EiraSync sits in between: you keep the open-source LiveSync client and its flexibility while outsourcing the server infrastructure.
Already using LiveSync and want to stop maintaining CouchDB yourself?