docs/obsidian-help/Licenses and payment/Commercial license.md

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  - Licenses & Payment/Commercial license

If you use Obsidian for work in a company with two or more employees, you must purchase a Commercial license.

You and your team may use Obsidian commercially for free for 14 days to evaluate the app before purchase. For bulk discounts, [[Help and support|contact Obsidian support]].

What is considered commercial use?

Commercial use includes, but isn't limited to, work-related activities such as:

• Meeting notes
• Project notes for teams
• Organizational wikis

You don't need a Commercial license if you work in any of the following settings:

• Schools and recognized educational institutions
• Non-commercial research
• Non-profit organizations
• Freelancing or companies with a single person

Purchase and activate a commercial license

To purchase a commercial license, follow the steps below. You can find pricing information on the pricing page.

1. Create or login to your Obsidian account.
2. Scroll down to the Commercial license section.
3. Click Buy license and choose the number of seats you want to purchase.
4. Complete the payment process.
5. The license key will be displayed and can be activated using the steps below.

To activate a commercial license:

1. Open the Obsidian app.
2. Go to Settings → General → Commercial license.
3. Click Activate and enter your license key.
4. You're done! The app is now licensed for commercial use.

FAQ

[!question]- Q1. How do I activate my commercial license? You can activate your commercial license under Settings → General → Commercial license. See detailed instructions above.

[!question]- Q2. Can I try Obsidian for commercial use before paying? Yes. You and your team may evaluate Obsidian for commercial use for 14 days. You don't need to pay before evaluating.

[!question]- Q3. Can I buy a license for myself, or do I have to ask my company to buy it for me? Yes, you can buy the license for yourself by going to your Account dashboard. Most companies will allow you to submit an expense report for the purchase. Some companies may have a different procurement process.

[!question]- Q4. I work at the IT department and need to purchase commercial licenses for our employees. What should I do? You only need to sign up for one admin account and buy one Obsidian commercial license with seats equal to the number of employees who will use Obsidian in your company.

After purchasing the license, you will be given a license key which you can send to the employees to activate their license — see instructions above to activate the license. There’s no need for each employee to have an Obsidian account.

[!question]- Q5. Do non-profit organizations require a commercial license? No, registered non-profit organizations may use Obsidian without a commercial license.

[!question]- Q6. Are there bulk discounts? To purchase seat licenses in bulk, please [[Help and support#Contact Obsidian support|contact Obsidian support]].

[!question]- Q7. How can I ask my company to purchase licenses for me or my team? Ask your IT department to [[Help and support#Contact Obsidian support|contact Obsidian support]] if they have questions or require any specific paperwork.

[!question]- Q8. Do I need a commercial license? Per our Terms of Service, if you use Obsidian for commercial use, you must obtain a commercial license. Commercial use is defined as using Obsidian for work-related activities in a for-profit company with two or more employees.

[!question]- Q9: I'm a writer/blogger, do I need a commercial license? If your writing is for-profit—for example you write on a blog that generates revenue via ads or sponsorships—and your business employs two or more people, then yes, you need a commercial license.

[!question]- Q10: I'm a solo freelancer/consultant, but my work indirectly contributes to "revenue-generating, work-related activities in a company that has two or more people". Do I need a commercial license? No, as long as you remain the sole employee of your freelance/consulting business, you don't need a commercial license.

[!question]- Q11: I'm a teacher/professor, or I work at a school, and I use Obsidian for my teaching/lectures. Do I need a commercial license? Obsidian usage for education-related activities within schools and other recognized educational institutions doesn't require a commercial license.

[!question]- Q12: I'm an academic researcher and I use Obsidian for my research work. Do I need a commercial license? If your research involves producing a commercial product—for example if your research contributes to revenue-generating commercial activities—you need a commercial license for your usage. If your research doesn't contribute to a commercial product, or if your research has not yet led to commercial activities, you don't need a license.

[!question]- Q13: I work for a government or an arm's length body or agency. Do I need a commercial license? Yes, you need a commercial license. Per our Terms of Service, if you use Obsidian for commercial use, you must obtain a commercial license. Commercial use is defined as using Obsidian for work-related activities in a for-profit company with two or more employees. Registered charitable and non-profit organizations are exempted.

[!question]- Q14: I use Obsidian during work for things like writing down team processes and taking notes for team meetings. Do I need a commercial license? If you are a single-person company, then you don't require a commercial license. Otherwise, if you have more than one person in the company, then you would require a commercial license.

[!question]- Q15: I use Obsidian to store all of my knowledge, both personal and professional, because it's difficult to separate them. Do I need a commercial license? If your notes contain content directly related to work projects or processes for a greater-than-one-person company, then you require a commercial license.

[!question]- Q16: I’m still not sure if I need a commercial license. What should I do? If you still have questions regarding the commercial license requirements, [[Help and support#Contact Obsidian support|contact Obsidian support]] and describe your situation in detail.