Are.na vs Wakelet (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Are.na and Wakelet share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan, and Are.na starts cheaper, at $5.83 a month when paid by the year against $7.50 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Are.na grades higher on value for money. Wakelet grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan, 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
Wakelet
Visual collections for saving, sharing and presenting links
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 Wakelet if
- Fits if you gather links for a lesson, project or class and share them
- Works for teachers who roster students through Google or Clever
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you go past Starter: Pro is $11.99 a month, or $89.99 billed yearly
- Tight if you stay free, as 3 collections, 50 items per collection and 1 GB run out
- Watch out: the pricing page lists a 250-item figure for Starter and a 50-per-collection limit in its table
- Skip it if you want phone apps, as none are listed, and Group, Enterprise and the education team plans are sold by quote
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAre.naFair | 2.2GPAWakeletFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | DPro is $11.99 a month or $89.99 a year, about $7.50 a month. The dearest tenth of reading apps starts at $7.99, and Group is $119.99 a seat with a 2-seat minimum. |
| Free plan and trial | CGuest plan allows up to 200 blocks, and saving a block to several channels counts once per channel. | CStarter is free with 3 collections, 50 items each and 1 GB, which a regular user will hit. Wakelet AI and video recording aren't included. |
| Features | CBlocks, channels, browser extensions, collaboration, an open API and no ads. Table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction are Premium. | BCollections of mixed content, an extension, collaboration, AI and classroom tools. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Channels and connections take learning before they feel natural. | CNo rating on record. You build and organize your own collections. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, a browser extension, iOS and Android, with an open API. No desktop app. | BWeb and a browser extension, with Google, Microsoft, Clever and ClassLink links. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | saving images, links and notes in shared collections | collecting links and notes into shareable 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 Wakelet. 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. Wakelet starts at $7.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Wakelet scores higher, and starts $1.67 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, 20 score higher than Are.na for less, and 11 score higher than Wakelet 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 | Wakelet | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7 per month, or $70 per year | $11.99 per month, or $89.99 billed yearly |
| Free plan | Guest plan: up to 200 blocks, open, closed or private channels, and collaborators on channels. | Starter: up to 3 collections, publish up to 3, join unlimited collections, 1 GB of storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Are.na | Wakelet Technologies Limited |
| Price read from | are.na | wakelet.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.
Wakelet
- The free Starter plan caps collections at 3, storage at 1 GB and items per collection at 50.
- Pro adds Wakelet AI, video recording and unlimited items; the free plan has none of them.
- Group, Enterprise and the education team plans are bought through sales or a quote.
- The pricing page lists a 250-item figure for Starter and a 50-per-collection limit in its table.
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.
Wakelet
- Collections of mixed content
- Save links, files, images, videos, PDFs and notes into collections that can be styled, kept private, shared by link or published to a profile.
- Browser extension
- Save pages, videos, images and social posts into a collection while browsing. The extension is offered for Chrome and Edge.
- Collaborative collections
- Invite others to add to a collection. Joining and collaborating on collections is unlimited on every plan, including the free one.
- Wakelet AI
- An AI assistant included from the Pro plan upward; the free Starter plan does not list it.
- Classroom and portfolio tools
- Education plans let teachers group students, set activities, review student collections and give every student a portfolio.
- Rostering for schools
- Education Enterprise accounts can be rostered from Google, Microsoft, Clever, ClassLink or a CSV file.
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.
Wakelet
Starter$0
Up to 3 collections with up to 50 items each, 100 saved items outside collections and 1 GB of storage.
Pro$11.99
per month, billed monthly ($89.99 billed yearly)
Unlimited collections and items, video record and upload, image carousels, pinned items and Wakelet AI.
Education Group$160
per year for 1 teacher and 30 students
Everything in Pro plus shared classroom space, student portfolios and activities. Extra teachers $40/year, extra students $4/year.
Group$119.99
per seat / year, minimum 2 seats
Everything in Pro plus a shared workspace, member groups, activities and roles. Sold through sales.
Education EnterpriseCustom
For schools, districts and universities: rostering via Google, Microsoft, Clever, ClassLink or CSV, plus analytics.
EnterpriseCustom
For larger organizations: bulk account creation, multiple super-admins, analytics and multi-level organization.
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.
Wakelet
- Annual discount
Save 37% on Pro with yearly billing
The pricing page shows Pro at $11.99 a month or $89.99 billed yearly, which it describes as a 37% saving.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Are.na or Wakelet?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Are.na is cheaper to start with: $5.83 a month when paid by the year, against $7.50 a month when paid by the year for Wakelet. Are.na starts at $7 per month, or $70 per year, and Wakelet starts at $11.99 per month, or $89.99 billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Are.na or Wakelet?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Are.na and Wakelet have a free plan.
Which platforms do Are.na and Wakelet run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Are.na lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app and a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.