Heptabase
Standard Notes
| Feature | Heptabase | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $11.99/mo | Free / from $7.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | researchers, students, visual-thinkers, phd-students | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers |
| Founded | 2021 | 2016 |
| Whiteboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Card System | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mindmaps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Journal | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tags | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pdf Annotation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Themes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Editors | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Attachments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Heptabase Pros
- Visual-first approach to note-taking
- Whiteboards for spatial thinking
- Card-based system is very flexible
- Great for research and learning
✗ Heptabase Cons
- No free plan
- Mobile app is limited
- Steeper learning curve than simple note apps
✓ Standard Notes Pros
- End-to-end encrypted
- 100-year company promise
- Cross-platform
- Open-source
✗ Standard Notes Cons
- Basic free version
- Fewer features than Notion
- Limited formatting
The Verdict
Heptabase is built for researchers and students, with a focus on whiteboards and card-system. Standard Notes targets privacy focused users and journalists and leads with encryption and themes.
Pricing is close: Standard Notes starts at $7.5/mo versus $11.99/mo for Heptabase — not a deciding factor on its own.
Standard Notes has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Heptabase requires a paid subscription from day one.
Both tools are a solid fit for researchers — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Heptabase has a slight overall edge — but if end-to-end encrypted matters most to you, Standard Notes may still be the right call.