Are.na vs Pearltrees (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pearltrees grades higher than Are.na: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Pearltrees grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Are.na
Save and connect images, links and notes in shared channels
Pearltrees
Visual collections for organizing links, files and notes
Which one is for you
Pick Are.na if
- Fits if you collect images and links for research or design
- Works for a small group that shares channels
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 200 blocks, and one block in several channels counts for each
- Pricey if you want table view or presentation mode, which are Premium at $7 a month
- Watch out: import from other services and bulk operations are Supporter only, at $120 a year
- Skip it if you want priority support, as that is a Premium feature
Pick Pearltrees if
- Fits if you gather research or links on one topic and like arranging them visually
- Works for teachers who share a collection with a class
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your collections must stay private on a free account, as they're visible to everyone
- Pricey if you want pages archived: that starts on Advanced at $4.99 a month
- Skip it if you save from an iPhone browser, since the FAQ says the extension can't be installed on iPhone or iPad
- Watch out: the clipper is for Chrome and Firefox only, and AI use is capped per plan at 100, 500 or 1,000 a month
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAre.naFair | 2.4GPAPearltreesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $7 a month or $70 a year, around $5.83 a month, between the middle of $3.99 and the dearer quarter at $7. | BPersonal is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, which works out to $2.50 a month, the cheaper-quarter line for reading apps. Page archiving needs Advanced at $4.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CGuest plan allows up to 200 blocks, and saving a block to several channels counts once per channel. | CA free account saves and organizes content, but the FAQ says collections are visible to everyone. Private collections are Premium, and there's no trial. |
| Features | CBlocks, channels, browser extensions, collaboration, an open API and no ads. Table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction are Premium. | CMixed collections, a clipper, AI, offline mode and apps. Web page archiving is only from Advanced and the AI is capped at 100 generations a month on Personal. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Channels and connections take learning before they feel natural. | CNo rating on record. You build and arrange your own collections, which takes some setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, a browser extension, iOS and Android, with an open API. No desktop app. | BWeb, iOS, Android and a Chrome and Firefox clipper, with Facebook and Twitter sharing. No desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | saving images, links and notes in shared collections | collecting pages, files and notes into visual collections |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Are.na and Pearltrees. How we grade
Price against what you get
Are.na starts at $5.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pearltrees starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Pearltrees starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, 20 score higher than Are.na for less, and 8 score higher than Pearltrees for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Are.na also covers research.
At a glance
| Are.na | Pearltrees | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7 per month, or $70 per year | $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year |
| Free plan | Guest plan: up to 200 blocks, open, closed or private channels, and collaborators on channels. | A free account to organize and share content; the FAQ says Premium adds advanced features and more storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Are.na | Pearltrees |
| Price read from | are.na | pearltrees.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Are.na
- The free Guest plan stops at 200 blocks, and saving one block to several channels counts once per channel.
- Table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction of saved articles need Premium.
- Import from other services and bulk operations are Supporter-only.
- Priority support is a Premium feature; the free plan has no priority line.
Pearltrees
- The FAQ says collections are visible to everyone on a free account; private collections are a Premium feature.
- Web page archiving is listed only from the Advanced plan.
- The web clipper is offered for Chrome and Firefox only; the FAQ says the extension cannot be installed on iPhone or iPad.
- The AI assistant's 1,000 monthly queries for teachers is a separate allowance from the paid plans' generation counts.
Key features
Are.na
- Blocks and channels
- Anything saved is a block, and blocks live in channels you can edit, rearrange and search. One block can be reused in many channels.
- Browser extensions
- Chrome, Firefox and Safari extensions save pages, selected text and images to a channel; screenshots work on Chrome and Firefox.
- Channel privacy and collaboration
- Channels can be open to anyone, closed to collaborators only, or private. Inviting collaborators is included on every plan.
- Open API
- A public API and developer library are available on all plans; Supporter raises the rate limits.
- Table view and presentation mode
- Premium adds a table view of a channel and a presentation mode, along with advanced search filters.
- No ads
- The site says there are no ads and no personalized recommendations; what you see comes from the network you follow.
Pearltrees
- Collections of mixed content
- Add web pages, files, photos and notes to collections, then arrange them visually and set each one to public or private.
- Web clipper
- Add the page you are viewing to your account from the browser. The FAQ says the clipper is available for Chrome and Firefox on a computer.
- Mobile apps
- iPhone, iPad and Android apps can search the web from inside the app, and Android can add content through the Share button.
- Pearltrees AI
- Premium plans include monthly AI generations. The FAQ describes Pearltrees AI 1.0 as designed for teachers.
- Web page archiving
- The Advanced and Professional plans list archiving of web pages that you collect.
- Offline mode
- Listed on all three paid plans, alongside customization of how collections look.
Plans
Are.na
Guest$0
Up to 200 blocks, with channels that are open, closed or private and collaborators invited to channels.
Premium$7
per month, billed monthly ($70 billed yearly)
Unlimited blocks, table view, presentation mode, advanced search filters, full-text extraction and priority support.
Supporter$120
per year
Everything in Premium plus higher API rate limits, bulk operations, import from other services and a custom profile URL.
Pearltrees
Free$0
Save web pages, files, photos and notes and organize them in collections.
Personal$2.99
per month, billed monthly ($29.99 per year)
100 AI generations a month, 10 GB of storage, public or private collections, full customization and offline mode.
Advanced$4.99
per month, billed monthly ($49.99 per year)
500 AI generations a month, 100 GB of storage, and archiving of web pages on top of Personal.
Professional$9.99
per month, billed monthly ($99.99 per year)
1,000 AI generations a month, 1 TB of storage, and professional security on top of Advanced.
Ways to pay less
Are.na
- Education
50% off Premium for students
The about page says students get 50% off any Premium plan for two years; teachers can ask for custom discounts for a class.
- Annual discount
Save 17% on Premium with yearly billing
The pricing section shows Premium at $7 a month or $70 a year and labels the yearly option a 17% saving.
Pearltrees
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Are.na or Pearltrees?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pearltrees is cheaper to start with: $2.50 a month when paid by the year, against $5.83 a month when paid by the year for Are.na. Are.na starts at $7 per month, or $70 per year, and Pearltrees starts at $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year.
Which has a free plan, Are.na or Pearltrees?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Are.na and Pearltrees have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.