Heptabase
Tana
| Feature | Heptabase | Tana |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $11.99/mo | Free / from $12/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | researchers, students, visual-thinkers, phd-students | power-users, researchers, knowledge-workers, systems-thinkers |
| Founded | 2021 | 2020 |
| Whiteboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Card System | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mindmaps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Journal | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tags | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pdf Annotation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Supertags | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Commands | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Queries | ✗ | ✓ |
| Views | ✗ | ✓ |
| Node Graph | ✗ | ✓ |
| Daily Notes | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Tana Pros
- Supertags create structured data effortlessly
- Powerful AI-powered search and commands
- Everything is queryable and linked
- Flexible views (table, board, calendar)
✗ Tana Cons
- Steep learning curve
- No mobile app yet
- Still in development (features changing)
The Verdict
Heptabase is built for researchers and students, with a focus on whiteboards and card-system. Tana targets power users and researchers and leads with supertags and ai-commands.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($11.99/mo for Heptabase, $12/mo for Tana), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Tana 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 supertags create structured data effortlessly matters most to you, Tana may still be the right call.