Heptabase

Notes on whiteboards, for when the outline is not the shape of the idea.

By Heptabase · since 2021 · heptabase.com

7.8

B+ · out of 10

Heptabase gives every note a card and every project a whiteboard, so you arrange ideas spatially and draw the connections yourself. Underneath it is a proper knowledge base with tags, backlinks and a journal. It suits research where you are still working out how the pieces fit.

How it scores

  • Features25% of score

    8.2

    Depth and breadth of what the app can do.

  • Ease of use20% of score

    8.4

    Speed, polish and how long it takes to feel at home.

  • AI15% of score

    7.0

    Quality and usefulness of the built-in AI, not just its presence.

  • Sync & reliability15% of score

    7.8

    How dependably notes move between devices.

  • Value15% of score

    6.8

    What you get for what you pay.

  • Platform coverage10% of score

    8.6

    How many places you can actually use it.

Pricing

$11.99/month · $107.88/year

No free tier.

No free plan, only a short trial. About $11.99/month, or roughly $9/month billed yearly.

Platforms

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Web

46 tracked features supported

What it does well

  • Whiteboards make relationships between notes visible, not just queryable
  • PDF annotation and highlights flow into cards
  • Fast and stable for a small team product
  • Works well for literature reviews and long research projects

Where it falls short

  • No free plan at all
  • Whiteboards get unwieldy past a few hundred cards
  • Not aimed at quick everyday capture
  • Mobile is more for reading than for building

Our take

The best spatial thinking tool in the category. Expensive, and only worth it if you actually think visually.

Best for: Researchers and students mapping a subject they do not understand yet.

Linked thinking / PKMStudents & study

Feature by feature

YesPartlyVia pluginNo

Capture & input

How notes get into the app in the first place.

  • Voice recording
  • Audio transcription
  • Speaker identification
  • Meeting recording
  • Handwriting / stylus
  • Drawing canvas
  • OCR / handwriting search
  • Web clipper
  • Share extension
  • Quick capture
  • Images
  • PDF & documents
  • Document scanning

Organization

How notes are structured, linked and found again.

  • Tags
  • Folders / notebooks
  • Multi-level folders
  • Internal links
  • Backlinks
  • Graph view
  • Databases / boardsPartly
  • Daily notes / journal
  • Note templates
  • Saved searches
  • Pins / favorites
  • Merge notes

AI

Assistants, generators and meaning-based search.

  • AI chat / writing assistant
  • AI agent with tools
  • Custom AI agents
  • Semantic searchPartly
  • AI web search
  • Connected apps for AI
  • Prompt templatesPartly
  • Custom AI instructions
  • AI memory
  • Scheduled AI tasks
  • Flashcard generator
  • Spaced repetition
  • Quiz generator
  • Fill in the blank
  • Mind maps
  • AI image generation
  • Infographic generator
  • Slide deck generator
  • AI mini apps
  • Brainrot video generator
  • AI audio overview
  • Bring your own model
  • AI job notifications

Writing & editing

What the editor itself can actually do.

  • Markdown
  • Rich textPartly
  • Code blocks
  • Math / LaTeX
  • TablesPartly
  • Find and replace
  • Version historyPartly
  • Note infoPartly

Sync & data ownership

Where your notes live and how easily they leave.

  • Cloud sync
  • Sync through your own cloud
  • Offline support
  • Offline-first / own your dataPartly
  • Self-hosting
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Locked notes
  • Daily backup
  • Import
  • Export
  • Public APIPartly
  • Command line tool
  • Remote MCP server
  • Plugins / extensions

Sharing & collaboration

Working with other people inside your notes.

  • Share with people
  • Real-time collaborationPartly
  • CommentsPartly
  • Public sharing

Experience

The everyday polish around the writing surface.

  • Dark mode
  • Custom themes
  • Multi-languagePartly
  • Command palette
  • Split view
  • Focus mode
  • Home screen widgets
  • Apple Shortcuts

Compare with

All Heptabase alternatives

Heptabase vs Grape

Adds: AI agent with tools, AI memory

9.0

Heptabase vs Obsidian

Plain markdown files on your disk, with a plugin ecosystem bolted on top.

8.4

Heptabase vs GoodNotes

Handwriting on a tablet, done better than anyone else.

8.0

Heptabase vs RemNote

Take notes and generate the flashcards in the same keystroke.

7.9