Tana
Timely
| Feature | Tana | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $12/mo | From $11/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | power-users, researchers, knowledge-workers, systems-thinkers | consultants, agencies, freelancers, remote-teams |
| Founded | 2020 | 2014 |
| Supertags | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Commands | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Queries | ✓ | ✗ |
| Views | ✓ | ✗ |
| Node Graph | ✓ | ✗ |
| Daily Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automatic Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Memory Timeline | ✗ | ✓ |
| Project Budgets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Dashboard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Billable Hours | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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)
✓ Timely Pros
- Fully automatic time capture
- Beautiful interface
- Memory timeline feature
- Privacy-focused
✗ Timely Cons
- No free plan
- AI capture needs training period
- Mobile tracking less reliable
The Verdict
Tana is built for power users and researchers, with a focus on supertags and ai-commands. Timely targets consultants and agencies and leads with automatic-tracking and memory-timeline.
Pricing is close: Timely starts at $11/mo versus $12/mo for Tana — not a deciding factor on its own.
Tana has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Timely requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.