Heptabase

Visual note-taking app that helps you learn and research on infinite whiteboards.

Best for: Academics, PhD students, non-fiction authors, and analysts synthesizing deep topics

Free trial

4.9/5Editorial score 94/100heptabase.com

Starts at

7-Day Free Trial

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Editorial score94/100

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The editorial note

What to know about Heptabase

Heptabase is a visual note-taking application designed to help researchers, students, and thinkers master complex topics. By organizing atomic notes, PDFs, web highlights, and journal entries across visual whiteboards, Heptabase bridges visual spatial memory with deep interconnected knowledge management.

Is it right for you?

Who Heptabase suits

Choose it if

Academics, PhD students, non-fiction authors, and analysts synthesizing deep topics

Look elsewhere if

Casual note-takers looking for a simple, free shopping list or quick memo app

What you get

Key features

Spatial whiteboard canvases with sections and mindmaps
Reusable card library with bi-directional backlinks
Native PDF reader with highlight extraction to canvas
Daily journal integrated with card management
Offline-first desktop application with encrypted cloud sync
Export to Markdown, PDF, and JSON

Works with

Integrations5

ReadwiseMarkdownPDFmacOSWindows

What it costs

Pricing

Heptabase pricing plans
Plan	Price	What it includes
Trial	7-Day Free TrialBilled one-time	Full access to all whiteboards, card library, PDF reader, and cloud sync for 7 days
Standard Plan	$9.99 / month ($107.88 / yr)Billed yearly	Or $11.99 monthly. Unlimited whiteboards, unlimited cards, encrypted cloud sync, multi-device access

Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.

The trade-off

Pros and cons

Pros

Spatial whiteboard organization helps clarify complex relationships that linear docs hide
PDF annotation tool extracts highlights directly onto your whiteboard canvas
Card library lets you reuse the same atomic note across multiple whiteboards

Cons

No permanent free tier (7-day free trial required before subscribing)
Higher price point compared to general note-taking software

Quick read

At a glance

Category: Business & Productivity
Pricing model: Subscription
Entry plan: 7-Day Free Trial
Free plan: Not listed
Free trial: Available
Website: heptabase.com

The verdict

Our take on Heptabase

Heptabase is the single best software tool available for deep research and visual knowledge synthesis.

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