Atlas vs Heptabase (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Heptabase grades higher than Atlas: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Heptabase grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Atlas
AI research workspace with citations, knowledge maps and notes
Heptabase
Visual notes app that arranges linked cards on whiteboards
Which one is for you
Pick Atlas if
- Fits if you read many papers and want answers that point to the passage
- Works for people who build notes from a set of sources
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 5 AI messages and 10 sources
- Pricey if you need the AI: $16 a month billed yearly, double the category's dearest-tenth threshold of $10
- Watch out: no exact figure is given for paid AI usage
- Watch out: custom research skills and the highest-capability model are Pro only, at $32 a month
Pick Heptabase if
- Fits if you're a student or researcher working through a big topic from PDFs and videos
- Works for readers who already collect highlights in Readwise or sources in Zotero
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free notes app, as a subscription is required after the 7-day trial
- Pricey if you want GPT, Claude, unlimited PDF uploads or AI Tutor, which need Premium at $17.99 a month
- Not for you if you were counting on a student or nonprofit discount, because Heptabase says it doesn't offer one
- Tight if you lean on AI, as Pro has 100 credits a month and Gemini models only
- Watch out: free collaborators can edit shared boards and cards but get no journal, tasks or AI
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAAtlasWeak | 2.4GPAHeptabaseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPlus is $16 a month billed yearly and Pro $32, against a category middle of $5.99 and a dearest tenth that starts at $10. | DPro is $8.99 a month billed yearly ($107.88), or $11.99 month to month, where notes apps here sit around $6 in the middle and $8.25 in the dearer quarter. And Pro is the thin version: unlimited PDF uploads, GPT and Claude models and AI Tutor all sit on Premium at $17.99 a month, three times the category's middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with unlimited notes and projects, but 10 sources and 5 AI messages, so the AI part runs out fast. | CThere's no free plan to sign up for. You get a 7-day trial with unlimited PDF uploads and the Premium AI credits, and nothing in the listing says it asks for a card, but a week is all there is before a subscription is required. |
| Features | CCited chat, knowledge maps, semantic maps, paper search and export. The listing's gaps: paid AI use is 'hundreds of chats' with no exact number, and the top model is on Pro only. | BCards on whiteboards, links in both directions, PDF highlights, AI that explains PDFs and YouTube videos, a daily journal with to-dos, offline access and real-time collaboration. Nothing's missing from the note-taking job itself; what's rationed is AI credits and models by plan, and that's what keeps it off an A. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You upload sources and build a library before it answers anything. | CYou're picking up a way of working, not just an app: cards, whiteboards, links in both directions and a block editor with slash commands. No App Store rating is on record to go by, so that learning curve is what we go on. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb and a Chrome extension only. The pricing page mentions mobile apps without naming stores. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, which is the full set, with Readwise highlights and Zotero sources coming in. Notes and files stay readable with no connection too. |
| Best for | questioning papers and sources with an AI | learning a hard topic by laying notes on a board |
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: Atlas and Heptabase. How we grade
Price against what you get
Atlas starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Heptabase starts at $8.99 a month and scores 3.0.
Heptabase scores higher and starts $7.01 a month lower. Of the other note-taking apps on the chart, 80 score higher than Atlas for less, and 15 score higher than Heptabase 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
- Atlas also covers chat assistant, research, citations and mind mapping.
- Heptabase also covers linked notes, whiteboard and daily notes.
At a glance
| Atlas | Heptabase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed yearly ($192) | $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88) |
| Free plan | Unlimited notes and projects, up to 10 sources and 5 AI messages. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial with unlimited PDF uploads and parsing and the Premium plan's AI credit allowance. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | AgentScale AI Pte. Ltd. | Hepta Platforms, Inc. |
| Price read from | atlasworkspace.ai | heptabase.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Atlas
- The free plan allows 5 AI messages and 10 sources, so it works as a trial of the AI features.
- AI usage on paid plans is described as hundreds of chats a month, with no exact figure given.
- Priority support, custom research skills and the highest-capability model are limited to paid tiers.
- The pricing table lists a Chrome extension and mobile apps without naming stores, so only web and extension are listed here.
Heptabase
- There is no free plan to sign up for; a subscription is required after the 7-day trial.
- Pro includes 100 AI credits a month and only Gemini models; GPT, Claude and AI Tutor need Premium.
- Heptabase says it does not currently offer educational, nonprofit or NGO discounts.
- People invited as free collaborators can edit shared whiteboards and cards but get no journal, tasks or AI features.
Key features
Atlas
- Chat with citations
- Ask about one paper, the whole library or the wider literature, with answers traced to the page and passage.
- Knowledge map
- Breaks a paper into its argument structure, relationships and timelines, with multi-level zoom.
- Semantic map
- Plots sources in a project to show how they connect from different angles.
- Paper search
- Searches over 200 million papers from a research question and adds matches to a project.
- Notes and export
- Notes that Atlas writes and edits with you, exportable to PDF, Word, Markdown and text, with citation styles and BibTeX.
Heptabase
- Whiteboards and cards
- Each note is a card, and cards are laid out on whiteboards to work through a topic visually.
- Block editor with bi-directional links
- Cards are written in a block-based editor with slash commands and can link to each other in both directions.
- PDF highlights and source Q&A
- Highlight PDFs in several colors and ask AI to explain PDFs, YouTube videos, notes and journal entries. Unlimited PDF uploads and OCR parsing need Premium.
- AI agent and AI Tutor
- An AI agent helps take notes and organize knowledge, drawing on monthly AI credits. AI Tutor, which runs structured learning sessions, is part of Premium.
- Daily journal
- A journal entry for each day sits alongside a calendar and to-dos.
- Offline access and collaboration
- Notes and files stay available without an internet connection, and friends or teammates can be invited to collaborate in real time for free.
Plans
Atlas
Free$0
Unlimited notes and projects, semantic and knowledge maps, up to 10 sources and 5 AI messages.
Plus$16
per month, billed yearly ($192)
Hundreds of AI chats a month, unlimited sources, multi-step synthesis and literature-indexed citations. Monthly-billing price is not shown on the page text read.
Pro$32
per month, billed yearly ($384)
Everything in Plus with 2x the AI usage, saved custom research skills and the highest-capability AI model for answers.
Heptabase
Pro$8.99
per month, billed yearly ($11.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited notes, whiteboards, tags and collaborator invites, 100 AI credits a month and an AI agent limited to Gemini models.
Premium$17.99
per month, billed yearly ($23.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro, plus unlimited PDF uploads and OCR parsing, GPT and Claude models, AI Tutor and 1,800 AI credits a month.
Premium+$53.99
per month, billed yearly ($71.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Premium, with 8,100 AI credits a month and a 33% discount on AI credits.
Ways to pay less
Atlas
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page marks the Yearly option with a 20% saving over monthly billing.
Heptabase
- Annual discount
Save 25% with yearly billing
Heptabase's pricing page marks yearly billing as 25% cheaper: Pro is $107.88 a year instead of $11.99 a month, and Premium is $215.88 instead of $23.99 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Atlas or Heptabase?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Heptabase is cheaper to start with: $8.99 a month, against $16 a month for Atlas. Atlas starts at $16 per month, billed yearly ($192), and Heptabase starts at $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88).
Which has a free plan, Atlas or Heptabase?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Atlas has a free plan. Heptabase does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Atlas and Heptabase run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Heptabase lists macOS, Windows, Linux, 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.