What is Heptabase used for?

Heptabase is a visual knowledge base for students, researchers and learners, combining whiteboards, cards, PDF annotation and an AI tutor. It is a good fit for academic research and literature review, learning a new subject with structured lessons, and mapping ideas visually on whiteboards.

How much does Heptabase cost?

Paid plans for Heptabase start at $8.99 per month, and there is no free plan.

Is Heptabase open source?

No. Heptabase is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Heptabase include AFFiNE, Revezone and Neurite.

What are some alternatives to Heptabase?

Heptabase competes with Obsidian, Notion and Roam Research. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Heptabase alternatives.

Heptabase: features, pricing and alternatives

About Heptabase

Heptabase is a commercial visual note-taking app that arranges notes as cards on whiteboards, aimed at students, researchers and lifelong learners. Users gather sources, notes, highlights and discussions in one connected knowledge base and use the whiteboard to clarify their thinking.

The product includes a block-based editor, bi-directional links, daily journals, PDF annotation and a web clipper, with integrations for Readwise and Zotero. AI features let users ask for explanations of sources, take notes and organize the knowledge base, and an AI Tutor guides structured, personalized learning sessions. A command-line interface is described as working with coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex.

Heptabase is a hosted service with desktop and mobile apps, a wiki, community and gallery. It offers a 7-day trial, and the pricing page lists paid plans. It suits students and researchers who think visually and want one place for reading, annotating and writing.

Key features

Whiteboards with note cards
Block-based editor with bi-directional links
PDF annotation and web clipper
Readwise and Zotero integration
AI assistance with sources and notes
AI Tutor learning sessions
Command-line interface for coding agents

Good fit for

→Academic research and literature review
→Learning a new subject with structured lessons
→Mapping ideas visually on whiteboards

Tags: notes; whiteboard; visual-thinking; research; ai-tutor; knowledge-base; learning

Heptabase: questions and answers

What is Heptabase used for?: Heptabase is a visual knowledge base for students, researchers and learners, combining whiteboards, cards, PDF annotation and an AI tutor. It is a good fit for academic research and literature review, learning a new subject with structured lessons, and mapping ideas visually on whiteboards.
How much does Heptabase cost?: Paid plans for Heptabase start at $8.99 per month, and there is no free plan.
Is Heptabase open source?: No. Heptabase is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Heptabase include AFFiNE, Revezone and Neurite.
What are some alternatives to Heptabase?: Heptabase competes with Obsidian, Notion and Roam Research. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Heptabase alternatives.