Compare / Heptabase vs RemNote

Heptabase vs RemNote

Heptabase is a visual learning tool where notes are cards you arrange and connect on infinite whiteboards; RemNote is a note-taking app with spaced-repetition flashcards built into the writing itself. Here’s how they compare on pricing, platforms, linking, search, capture and collaboration — and how to decide between them.

What is Heptabase?

Heptabase is for people who think spatially. Notes are cards; understanding happens by laying them out on infinite whiteboards, drawing connections, grouping into sections and mindmaps, and annotating PDFs alongside. It’s a deliberate take on learning deeply — less “capture everything” and more “make sense of what you’re studying” — and nothing else in this list matches its canvas experience.

Cards support Markdown, backlinks, tags with table views, and journals, so it still functions as a complete note system off the whiteboard. It runs on desktop, web and mobile with offline support and cloud sync. There’s no free plan (7-day trial); 2026 pricing is AI-credit-tiered — Pro at $8.99/month (annual) with Premium tiers above it for heavier AI use.

What is RemNote?

RemNote fuses notes and studying: write an outline, mark a line as a question-answer pair, and it becomes a flashcard scheduled by spaced repetition — remembering is a property of your notes, not a separate app. PDF annotation, image occlusion, and an exam scheduler round out a system clearly aimed at students, med students especially, though knowledge workers use it for durable learning too.

The free plan is generous — unlimited notes, flashcards and synced devices — with Pro at $8/month ($96/year) adding unlimited PDFs and tables, and a “Pro with AI” tier at $18/month generating cards, quizzes and summaries from PDFs and recorded lectures. It runs everywhere: web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, with offline support.

Heptabase vs RemNote at a glance

Pricing and features as of mid-2026 — check each product’s site for current details.

Where Heptabase shines

• The best whiteboard-native note experience available — cards, sections, mindmaps and connections feel built-in, not bolted on.
• PDF annotation on the same canvas as your notes suits deep study workflows.
• Tags double as tables, giving light database views over cards.
• Solid offline support with sync across desktop, web and mobile.

Worth knowing: No free plan — only a 7-day trial. Collaboration is limited to shared whiteboards; it’s primarily single-player. Spatial organization is the point — if you don’t think in maps, the canvas is overhead rather than insight.

Where RemNote shines

• The tightest notes-to-flashcards loop anywhere — cards are created inline as you write, not maintained separately.
• Serious study tooling: PDF annotation, image occlusion, exam scheduling.
• A genuinely usable free plan with unlimited notes and cards.
• AI tier turns PDFs and lectures into flashcards and quizzes automatically.

Worth knowing: The study focus shapes everything; as a pure PKM tool it’s busier and less elegant than dedicated rivals. Collaboration is limited to shared documents and published decks. Cloud-first and proprietary, with no end-to-end encryption.

Which should you choose?

Choose Heptabase if:

• You learn by arranging ideas spatially and drawing the connections yourself.
• You study from PDFs and want annotation living next to your notes.
• A visual overview of a topic matters more to you than fast capture.

Choose RemNote if:

• Retention is the goal — you’re studying for exams or deliberately memorizing a field.
• You annotate PDFs and lecture material heavily.
• You want notes and flashcards to be the same document.

A third option: Dexi

If what you actually want is one searchable place for notes, bookmarks, newsletters and RSS — with tags, @mentions and [[wiki links]] that organize themselves as you write, semantic search that finds ideas even when the words don’t match, and an MCP server so Claude and other AI assistants can work with your notes directly — take a look at Dexi. It’s free for up to 1,000 notes, with no app to install.

• Dexi vs Heptabase
• Dexi vs RemNote

Frequently asked questions

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