Are.na review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Save and connect images, links and notes in shared channels
Black Friday: is there a Are.na sale?
Are.na report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for saving images, links and notes in shared collections
Are.na saves images, links and notes into channels that you can keep private or share, with a browser extension and apps. The free Guest plan stops at 200 blocks, and table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction need Premium at $7 a month.
Who Are.na is for
- Fits if you collect images and links for research or design
- Works for a small group that shares channels
Who Are.na is not for
- 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
Why Are.na gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPremium 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.
- CFree plan and trialGuest plan allows up to 200 blocks, and saving a block to several channels counts once per channel.
- CFeaturesBlocks, channels, browser extensions, collaboration, an open API and no ads. Table view, presentation mode and full-text extraction are Premium.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Channels and connections take learning before they feel natural.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, a browser extension, iOS and Android, with an open API. No desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Are.na's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Are.na? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/arena#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/arena.svg" alt="Are.na: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Are.na stands among read-later and bookmark apps
Are.na's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 1 of the 52 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 17 of 52) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $5.83 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3.33 for the category: 24 of the 32 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 20 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 53 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Are.na’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 8 of 52, level with 19
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 52, level with 18
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 52, level with 19
- CEase of useAbove 6 of 52, level with 18
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 17 of 52, level with 30
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 47 read-later and bookmark apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Are.na, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Are.na you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 46 of the 52 other read-later and bookmark apps grade higher. It costs $70 a year.
What you could make
- Bookmarks and web clipper: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. Are.na’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Are.na?
Are.na is a platform for saving photos, notes, files and web pages as blocks inside channels that can be private, closed or open to anyone. It carries no ads or personalized recommendations and says it is sustained by its members' paid subscriptions.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Are.na pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Are.na has a free plan, and paid plans start at $7 per month, or $70 per year.
- Starts at
- $7 per month, or $70 per year
- Free plan
- Guest plan: up to 200 blocks, open, closed or private channels, and collaborators on channels.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | $0 | Up to 200 blocks, with channels that are open, closed or private and collaborators invited to channels. |
| Premium | $7per month, billed monthly ($70 billed yearly) | Unlimited blocks, table view, presentation mode, advanced search filters, full-text extraction and priority support. |
| Supporter | $120per year | Everything in Premium plus higher API rate limits, bulk operations, import from other services and a custom profile URL. |
Read from are.na on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Are.na before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Education50% 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.
Stated on are.na - Annual discountSave 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.
Stated on are.na
Are.na alternatives
- Are.na vs Raindrop.io
Free plan · from $28/yr
- Are.na vs Pearltrees
Free plan · from $2.99/mo
- Are.na vs Wakelet
Free plan · from $11.99/mo
- Are.na vs Pinboard
From $22/yr
- Are.na vs Glasp
Free plan · from $12.50/mo
Common questions
Does Are.na have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Are.na is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Are.na have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Are.na is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Are.na open source?
Are.na is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Are.na have an API?
Yes. Are.na offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.