Heptabase vs Scrintal
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Heptabase
Visual notes app that arranges linked cards on whiteboards
Scrintal
Visual note-taking on an infinite canvas of linked docs
Where they differ
- Heptabase starts at $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88). Scrintal starts at $9 per month, billed annually ($108 per year).
- Only Heptabase lists Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Only Heptabase lists a browser extension.
- Heptabase also covers daily notes.
- Scrintal also covers templates and research.
At a glance
| Heptabase | Scrintal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88) | $9 per month, billed annually ($108 per year) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with unlimited PDF uploads and parsing and the Premium plan's AI credit allowance. | 14-day free trial through an existing user's invite link; no direct trial is offered |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Hepta Platforms, Inc. | Scrintal Labs AB |
| Price read from | heptabase.com | scrintal.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Scrintal
- Students and researchers mapping reading notes visually
- Writers who lay out a thesis or article on a canvas before drafting
- Small groups brainstorming on shared boards
Worth knowing
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.
Scrintal
- There is no free plan and no direct trial; a 14-day trial is available only through an existing user's invite link.
- The single plan is billed annually at $108; the pricing data lists no monthly option.
- Refunds are limited to the first 7 days of a new subscription, once per user, and are not given after a trial.
- Desktop apps are offered for macOS and Windows; the site lists no mobile app.
Key features
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.
Scrintal
- Infinite canvas boards
- Boards hold notes, PDFs, videos and images side by side, so reading, watching and note-taking happen on one surface. Templates cover study and research.
- Blocks that become docs
- A note starts as a block on the canvas and can be turned into a full rich-text document with a click. Docs live in one library and are reused across boards.
- Arrows and bi-directional links
- Ideas are connected visually with arrows on a board, or through bi-directional links between docs.
- AI Assistant
- The site lists a built-in AI Assistant for repetitive, time-consuming work. Gobu, a separate product from the same company, is an AI research assistant.
- Real-time collaboration
- Subscribers share docs and boards with other Scrintal users by email address and work on them together in real time.
- Markdown and PDF import and export
- Existing Markdown files can be imported, and the whole archive can be downloaded as Markdown files.
Plans
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.
Scrintal
Scrintal Pro$9
per month, billed annually ($108 per year)
Unlimited docs and boards, unlimited file uploads, real-time collaboration, priority support and community calls with the team.
Ways to pay less
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.
Scrintal
- Education
30% student discount
Scrintal's support docs offer students 30% off, applied automatically at checkout when subscribing with a university email address.
