DeepNotes vs Heptabase
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DeepNotes
End-to-end encrypted infinite canvas for nested notes
Heptabase
Visual notes app that arranges linked cards on whiteboards
Where they differ
- DeepNotes starts at $3.99 per month, billed yearly ($47.88). Heptabase starts at $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88).
- DeepNotes has a free plan. Heptabase does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Heptabase lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Heptabase lists a browser extension.
- DeepNotes is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- DeepNotes also covers mind mapping.
- Heptabase also covers linked notes and daily notes.
At a glance
| DeepNotes | Heptabase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, billed yearly ($47.88) | $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88) |
| Free plan | Basic plan: up to 50 pages for personal use, with end-to-end encryption, use across your own devices and two-factor authentication. Groups need Pro. | 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 | Gustavo Toyota | Hepta Platforms, Inc. |
| Price read from | deepnotes.app | heptabase.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
DeepNotes
- Visual thinkers who map ideas as notes and arrows on a canvas
- People who want encrypted notes with the source code published
- Small groups editing canvases together, each on a Pro subscription
Heptabase
- Students and researchers learning complex topics from PDFs and videos
- Visual thinkers who like to arrange notes on a canvas
- Readers who sync highlights from Readwise or sources from Zotero
Worth knowing
DeepNotes
- There is no offline mode: the help center says DeepNotes does not support offline usage.
- Text cannot be searched across pages; the vendor gave that up as a trade-off of encrypting each page separately.
- The Basic plan stops at 50 pages and is for personal use; pages created on Pro become read-only when the subscription expires.
- The download page shows App Store and Google Play badges, but both store listings returned a not-found page on 2026-10-09.
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
DeepNotes
- Infinite canvas pages
- Each page is an unbounded canvas. Double-clicking creates a note, and notes can be moved, expanded, colored and connected with arrows.
- Nested notes and linked pages
- Containers hold notes inside other notes, and pages link to one another, so navigation follows the links you make and not a fixed page hierarchy.
- End-to-end encryption
- Notes and arrows are encrypted under a key hierarchy that starts from the user's password, set out in a public whitepaper. Email addresses and metadata are not end-to-end encrypted.
- Real-time collaboration in groups
- Pro subscribers can create private, public or password-protected groups, invite other subscribed members and manage their roles. Public groups can be viewed by anyone with a page link.
- Page history
- The Pro plan keeps 14 days of history for each page. Page history is not in the Basic plan's feature list.
- Web and desktop apps
- DeepNotes runs in the browser, with a Windows app in the Microsoft Store and Mac and Linux builds published on GitHub.
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
DeepNotes
Basic$0
Up to 50 pages for personal use, with end-to-end encryption, graph-based navigation, use across your own devices and two-factor authentication.
Pro$3.99
per month, billed yearly ($47.88)
Unlimited pages, private, public and password-protected groups, user roles and 14-day page history. $4.99 if billed monthly; full refund within 7 days.
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
DeepNotes
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page labels yearly billing as saving 20%: Pro comes to $3.99 per month ($47.88 per year) against $4.99 when billed monthly.
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.
