Compare / Tana vs Anytype

Tana vs Anytype

Tana is an AI-native outliner where “supertags” turn notes into structured, queryable objects; Anytype is a local-first, end-to-end-encrypted object workspace you can even self-host. Here’s how they compare on pricing, platforms, linking, search, capture and collaboration — and how to decide between them.

What is Tana?

Tana’s big idea is the supertag: slap #meeting or #person on any outline node and it gains fields, views and behavior — your notes become a queryable database without leaving the outline. Live queries collect matching nodes anywhere in your workspace, which makes Tana feel like Roam and Notion fused together.

Since 2025 Tana has pivoted hard into being an “AI workspace”: a meeting agent that transcribes calls without a bot, voice capture that structures itself, semantic search, and full MCP support so AI assistants can work with your workspace on paid plans. Pricing reflects the AI ambition — a free tier with capped AI usage, Pro at $20/month (early-bird; $30 regular), and a $80+/month Max tier for heavy AI use. It’s cloud-based with web, desktop and capture-focused mobile apps.

What is Anytype?

Anytype wants to be the privacy-maximalist answer to Notion: objects with types, relations and sets, composed from blocks — but stored on your device, end-to-end encrypted, and synced peer-to-peer through a network you can self-host. The source is available (under its own license), and the free plan includes the full feature set with local storage limited only by your disk.

Collaboration arrived in 2024–25 via multiplayer shared Spaces, and publishing to the web followed, so it’s no longer strictly single-player. Paid tiers (Plus $4, Pro $8, Ultra $16 per month) mostly buy network storage rather than features. An official API and MCP server (2025) let AI assistants work with your data — notably, without Anytype itself pushing your notes through cloud AI, in keeping with its privacy stance.

Tana vs Anytype at a glance

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

Where Tana shines

• Supertags are the most elegant structure system in the category — schema, views and queries grow naturally out of plain outlining.
• The AI feature set is the deepest here: botless meeting transcription, voice capture, agents, and semantic search.
• Full MCP support (on paid plans) makes it one of the few tools built for AI-assistant workflows.
• Real-time multiplayer workspaces work well for teams.

Worth knowing: It’s the most expensive tool in this comparison once you use it seriously — AI usage is metered, and Pro runs $20–30/month. Cloud-only and proprietary: no local files, no end-to-end encryption, and export is limited. The structure-first approach has a real learning curve; casual note-takers may find it over-engineered.

Where Anytype shines

• The strongest privacy architecture in the category: local-first, end-to-end encrypted, peer-to-peer sync, self-hostable.
• Object types, relations and sets bring real database power to personal notes.
• Nearly everything is free — paid tiers mainly add network storage.
• Official API and MCP server let AI assistants integrate on your terms.

Worth knowing: No web app — desktop and mobile apps only. The object/relation model has a steeper learning curve than plain notes. Web capture, feeds and email-in aren’t part of the picture; it expects you to create, not collect.

Which should you choose?

Choose Tana if:

• You want notes with fields, views and queries — a database that emerges from writing.
• Meeting transcription and voice capture are core to your workflow.
• You’ll actually use enough AI to justify the price.

Choose Anytype if:

• End-to-end encryption and local storage are your first filter, not a nice-to-have.
• You want Notion-like structure (types, relations, sets) in a personal tool.
• Self-hosting matters to you, now or as an exit option.

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 Tana
• Dexi vs Anytype

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