Heptabase

Heptabase is a visual knowledge workspace built around whiteboards, cards, and connected notes. It is best suited to students, researchers, and lifelong learners who need to organize source material alongside their ideas. Its research tools and offline desktop access make a strong case, but the free plan excludes much of the personal knowledge-management toolkit.

Overview

Heptabase favors arranging ideas spatially over keeping notes in a simple linear list. Whiteboards and cards can help make relationships among material visible, while bidirectional links connect related notes from either direction. That combination suits exploratory projects; it is a less natural fit if your main need is quick, uncomplicated note capture.

Sharing and real-time collaboration support work with others, and Readwise and Zotero are integrations. Heptabase runs on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, with a Chrome extension also supported. The desktop app stores data locally, and notes and files remain accessible offline.

Key features

Visual thinking and connected notes

Whiteboards and cards provide a canvas for sorting ideas and clarifying how they relate. A block-based editor supports structured writing, while bidirectional links make connections navigable from either note. These tools are most useful when the work involves developing a network of ideas, rather than simply storing isolated notes.

Research and AI

Heptabase’s AI can explain sources, take notes, and organize a knowledge base, with PDFs, YouTube, notes, and journals among the source types it names. PDF annotation and a web clipper give researchers ways to bring material into that workspace. The value of this approach depends on whether you want AI involved in working with sources; those features are not part of the free plan.

Journals, sharing, and security

Daily journals provide a place for ongoing entries. Shared whiteboards and cards can be edited collaboratively, and Heptabase supports real-time collaboration. For cloud storage on AWS, the company describes encryption in transit and at rest, including server-side AES-256 and SSL/TLS transfers; this is not end-to-end encryption, a meaningful distinction for users with stricter confidentiality requirements.

There is no public REST API covering all app operations. Integrations are supported through MCP or the desktop-app CLI, so automation needs may require working within those routes.

Pricing

Heptabase has a free plan, a 7-day trial, and paid plans. The pricing note gives a starting point of $8.99/user/mo (annual), while the monthly plan prices below are billed monthly.

PlanPriceWhat it meansFreeFreeAccess is available through collaboration, including editing shared whiteboards and cards. It excludes journals, personal libraries, tag databases, tasks, highlights, and AI features, making it a limited way to use Heptabase for an individual knowledge base.Pro$11.99 a monthIncludes 100 AI credits/month. A fit for individuals who want the paid feature set with a relatively small AI allowance.Premium$23.99 a monthIncludes 1,800 AI credits/month, a more substantial allowance for regular AI-assisted research.Premium+$71.99 a monthIncludes 8,100 AI credits/month, suited to heavier AI use if that quota justifies the higher monthly cost.After a subscription or trial ends, you can access and export your content indefinitely, but must renew to create or edit notes. That preserves an exit route for your work, though ongoing use depends on keeping a subscription.

Platforms

Heptabase supports web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and a Chrome extension. Offline access is a practical advantage for work away from a connection: the desktop app stores data locally, and notes and files are accessible without internet.

Who it's for

Choose Heptabase if your work benefits from visual organization, connected notes, source annotation, and AI that can help process research. Its range of desktop and mobile platforms also suits people who move between devices. It is a weaker fit if you need a capable free personal workspace, end-to-end cloud encryption, or a public REST API across app operations.

Support is available in-app or by email, with the team aiming to reply within 24 hours during Monday-to-Friday working hours.

Pros and cons

Pros: Whiteboards, cards, and bidirectional links support visual exploration of connected ideas.

Pros: AI works with named research sources, and PDF annotation and a web clipper help bring material into the workspace.

Pros: Offline access, collaboration, and support across desktop and mobile platforms make it flexible for individual and shared work.

Cons: The free plan excludes core personal tools such as journals, personal libraries, tasks, highlights, and AI.

Cons: Cloud encryption is not end-to-end, and the public REST API does not cover all app operations.

Cons: Editing stops after a subscription or trial ends until you renew, even though access and export continue.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Personal Knowledge Management Software, AI Note-Taking Apps, and Note-taking apps.

SiYuan is worth considering if open source and a broad platform range are priorities; its download page describes it as completely open source, with most features free, including for commercial use.

TheBrain may suit users who want a free app with unlimited thoughts, links, and brains, plus private sync up to 1,000 thoughts and 100 MB of synced attachments.

Logseq is a free alternative for personal use across desktop, mobile, and web; Sync Backer is a $5 a month donation with sync beta access.

Obsidian is another freemium option across desktop and mobile; its Sync Standard plan costs $5 a month billed annually per user for one synced vault, 1 GB total storage, and a 5 MB maximum file size.

SilverBullet is a free option for users who want a self-hosted setup, including a personal desktop plan that can sync with any SilverBullet Server.

Supernotes may fit users whose note system is card-based; its Starter plan has 100 cards, while Unlimited is £6 a month billed £72 annually.

Tana offers a free plan with five meetings per month, one calendar, and 50 AI queries, and may suit users who want those specific limits and a desktop-and-web platform range.

TiddlyWiki is a free and open source project for readers who prefer that model.

Verdict

Heptabase is a strong choice for researchers and visual thinkers who want to connect notes, work with sources, and use AI across a wide range of platforms. Its main reason to choose it is the combination of visual knowledge organization and research tools; its main reason to look elsewhere is the restrictive free plan, especially if you need personal journals and AI without a subscription.