MDtoLink vs Obsidian Publish
Obsidian Publish turns your vault into a website. MDtoLink publishes individual markdown files from any editor. One is a vault-to-site tool, the other is a file-to-URL tool. Different scope, different audience.
Feature comparison
| Feature | MDtoLink | Obsidian Publish |
|---|---|---|
| Editor requirement | Any editor (Vim, VS Code, Obsidian, etc.) | Obsidian app only |
| Publishing scope | Individual .md files | Entire vault or selected notes as a site |
| CLI publishing | mdtolink publish file.md | No CLI. Publish from within the Obsidian app |
| Graph view | No | Yes (interactive note graph) |
| Backlinks | No | Yes (wiki-style [[links]] resolved) |
| Nested navigation | No (single documents) | Yes (folder-based sidebar) |
| AI agent integration | MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline | No MCP support |
| Custom domains | Yes (Publisher plan) | Yes (included with Publish) |
| REST API | Yes. Publish, update, delete, list | No public API |
| Price | Free tier, Pro from $6/mo | $8/mo per site |
When Obsidian Publish makes more sense
If you live in Obsidian and want your vault (or part of it) online as a browsable website, Obsidian Publish is purpose-built for that. You get graph view, backlinks, nested sidebar navigation, and search across all published notes. It turns a personal knowledge base into a public or semi-public site with minimal effort.
The wiki-style linking is a real advantage. Your [[note references]] just work. Readers can follow connections between ideas the same way you do inside the app. MDtoLink does not do any of that.
When MDtoLink makes more sense
MDtoLink does not care which editor you use. You might write in Vim, VS Code, Sublime, or even Obsidian itself. The point is: you are not locked into one app. Any .md file on your machine can become a URL with one terminal command.
The price difference is worth noting. MDtoLink Pro costs $6/mo (or $3/mo on the annual plan). Obsidian Publish is $8/mo per site, and that is on top of the Obsidian app itself. If you just need individual documents online, MDtoLink is the cheaper path.
MDtoLink also fits into automated workflows. The REST API lets you publish from CI/CD pipelines, and the MCP server lets AI agents like Claude Code publish documents directly. Obsidian Publish has no API and no automation hooks.
Editor freedom matters
Obsidian Publish requires the Obsidian app. That is fine if Obsidian is your editor. But if you switch between editors, or your team uses different tools, Obsidian Publish becomes a bottleneck. Everyone needs to adopt Obsidian to contribute to the published site.
MDtoLink has no editor dependency. Write in whatever works for you. The CLI takes a file path. That is the only interface. This also means your markdown stays portable: standard .md files with no proprietary formatting.
See how MDtoLink compares to other tools, or check out the pricing page for plan details.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the Obsidian app to use MDtoLink?
No. MDtoLink works with any text editor. Write markdown in Vim, VS Code, Sublime Text, or even Notepad. The CLI publishes any .md file regardless of where you wrote it.
Can I publish my Obsidian vault with MDtoLink?
MDtoLink publishes individual files, not entire vaults. If you want to publish your whole vault as an interconnected website with graph view and backlinks, Obsidian Publish is the right tool. If you need a single note online quickly, MDtoLink handles that.
Which is cheaper, MDtoLink Pro or Obsidian Publish?
MDtoLink Pro is $6/mo (or $3/mo billed annually). Obsidian Publish is $8/mo per site. For publishing individual documents, MDtoLink costs less. For hosting a full vault as a website, Obsidian Publish is the only option between the two.
Does MDtoLink support wiki-style links and backlinks?
No. MDtoLink publishes standalone documents. It does not resolve [[wiki-links]] or generate backlink graphs. If interconnected notes are important to your workflow, Obsidian Publish handles that natively.
Publish markdown from any editor
No app lock-in. No vault required. One command, one URL. Free to start.