# TheBrain

> Visual knowledge network linking notes, files and web links

TheBrain stores notes, files and web links as thoughts in a visual network, where an item can sit under several parents and link to related ideas instead of living in a single folder. Version 15 made the complete desktop, mobile and web app free and added Cerebro, an AI agent that searches, summarizes and creates content inside a brain. Paid cloud plans add unlimited private sync, online storage, larger AI allowances and team editing.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** TheBrain Technologies LP (since 1996)
- **Website:** https://www.thebrain.com
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

TheBrain has a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per month, billed at $180 per year (Pro Service).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Free App: every feature, unlimited thoughts, brains and local attachments, no account needed. Private sync stops at 1,000 thoughts, synced storage at 100 MB, and AI use is a small daily allowance.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free App | $0 | The complete app with unlimited thoughts, links and brains, unlimited public brains, private sync up to 1,000 thoughts and 100 MB of synced storage. |
| Pro Service | $15 per month, billed at $180 per year; $16 billed monthly | Unlimited private sync, the full daily Cerebro AI allowance, 30 GB of online storage, encrypted backup and one-on-one support. |
| TeamBrain | $25 per person / month, billed at $299 per year; $29 billed monthly | Everything in Pro Service plus multi-user editing and sync, unlimited shared brains, 100 GB of storage and per-user reporting and auditing. |
| Max Service | $40 per month, billed at $479 per year; $48 billed monthly | Everything in TeamBrain plus 4x the Cerebro AI allowance, 250 GB of storage, unlimited sync devices and early access to new features. |
| Enterprise | Custom | On-premises server deployment, arranged through the sales team. |

Read from https://www.thebrain.com/store on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with TheBrain before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Save 7% to 20% with yearly billing** (Annual discount): The store labels yearly billing as saving 7% on Pro Service ($180 a year against $16 a month), 16% on TeamBrain and 20% on Max Service. Source: https://www.thebrain.com/store

## Key features

- **The plex and linked thoughts:** Each note, file or link is a thought that can have several parents and jump links to other thoughts, shown in an animated network view called the plex.
- **Outline, mind map, tree and card views:** Besides the plex, a brain can be browsed as an outline, a mind map, cards, or a tree that shows thoughts with more than one parent.
- **Cerebro AI:** An AI agent that answers questions from a brain, creates thoughts and notes, summarizes attachments and suggests links. Free use is a small daily allowance.
- **Markdown notes editor:** Notes are written in a visual editor and stored as Markdown, with tables, math, spellchecking and PDF export.
- **Sync and Light Attachments:** Cloud sync keeps brains current across devices, and Light Sync leaves large attachments online until they are needed. Unlimited private sync is paid.
- **Shared pages and local API:** Any thought can be published as a web page that needs no account to view, and a local API lets scripts and AI agents create and query thoughts.

## Good for

- People who organize ideas as a network instead of folders
- Large personal knowledge bases mixing notes, files and web links
- Teams that want one shared, visual knowledge map (TeamBrain)

## Worth knowing

- Free private sync stops at 1,000 thoughts and 100 MB of synced attachments; going past either needs Pro Service.
- The free AI allowance is a small daily amount, and the vendor says AI services may be unavailable in some countries.
- Multi-user editing and shared brains need TeamBrain, at $299 per person per year.
- Cloud services run only for the paid service period, and on-premises deployment is sold separately through sales.

**Tags:** Notes, Mind mapping, Linked notes, Markdown, AI features, Public API

## Alternatives

- [Obsidian](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian): Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/obsidian-vs-thebrain)
- [Heptabase](https://toolgpa.com/tools/heptabase): Visual notes app that arranges linked cards on whiteboards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/heptabase-vs-thebrain)
- [Roam Research](https://toolgpa.com/tools/roam-research): Outliner for networked notes with bidirectional links. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/roam-research-vs-thebrain)
- [Tinderbox](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tinderbox): Mac tool for mapping, analyzing and sharing notes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/thebrain-vs-tinderbox)
- [Logseq](https://toolgpa.com/tools/logseq): Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/logseq-vs-thebrain)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://www.thebrain.com/store
- https://www.thebrain.com/_next/static/chunks/app/store/page-3846603fdb1e8923.js
- https://www.thebrain.com/store/compare-plans
- https://www.thebrain.com/
- https://www.thebrain.com/download
- https://www.thebrain.com/products/thebrain/thebrain15
- https://www.thebrain.com/thebrain-free-changes
- https://www.thebrain.com/about

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/thebrain
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).