Heptabase Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Heptabase alternatives: Obsidian, Logseq, AFFiNE, AppFlowy and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Notes & Knowledge
Verdict:Heptabase is a paid note app built around a whiteboard-style layout, and people leave it when a free tool covers their notes or when they need a shared workspace. Heptabase's pricing page lists Pro at $8.99 a month, but it does not say whether that figure is for yearly or monthly billing, and it shows no free plan. Obsidian is the simplest exit for a single user: its core app is free with no limits, and Sync is an optional add-on, so you pay only for sync. Logseq is open source under AGPL-3.0 and lists no paid plan, which suits people who want an outliner and do not need a canvas. AFFiNE gives you an MIT-licensed workspace with free local use and Cloud Basic, so self-hosting is possible. AppFlowy offers a free Personal plan with small storage, and Pro is $12 per member a month on annual billing. Notion is free for individuals, but its free plan is limited for teams of two or more. Pick the tool that matches your sharing needs first, then the layout you will miss most.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Free (core app with no limits, including commercial use); paid from $4 per user/month, billed annually (Sync add-on; $5 billed monthly) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Local Markdown notes with no fixed fee | Docs only |
| Logseq | Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS | Outliner-style notes at zero cost | Docs only |
| AFFiNE | Free (local workspaces; Cloud Basic has 10 GB of storage, up to 3 members and 10 MB files); paid from $6.75 per month (Pro; the page does not name the billing term) | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted | Self-hosted workspace on an open license | Docs only |
| AppFlowy | Free (Personal plan with 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history); paid from $12 per member/month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly, Pro) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted | Notion-style workspace with an open license | Docs only |
| Notion | Free (unlimited pages and blocks for individuals but limited for workspaces of 2 or more members, 5 MB per file, 10 guests, 7-day page history); paid from $10 per member/month (Plus; check the pricing page for the billing term) | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Shared documents and databases for a team | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You are a single user who wants no fixed fee (Obsidian is the pick)
- You want an outliner you can own as files (Logseq is the pick)
- You want a self-hosted workspace on an open license (AFFiNE is the pick)
- You need a shared database for a small team (Notion is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Heptabase features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Heptabase today: Paid from $8.99 per month, Pro plan (the page offers yearly and monthly billing and does not say which the $8.99 applies to) (Heptabase pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Why people look for Heptabase alternatives
Heptabase's pricing page lists no free plan or trial. Pro is $8.99 a month with 100 AI credits and an AI agent limited to Gemini models. Choosing among GPT, Claude and Gemini requires Premium at $17.99 and 1,800 credits, and Premium+ at $53.99 gives 8,100. Yearly billing saves 25%, though yearly prices are not shown. Apps are offered for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Obsidian
Compared with Heptabase: Core app is free with no limits, including commercial use. Sync is a paid add-on at $4 a month on annual billing. Against Heptabase you gain local Markdown files and lose the whiteboard-style layout Heptabase is built around.
Price: Free (core app with no limits, including commercial use); paid from $4 per user/month, billed annually (Sync add-on; $5 billed monthly) (Obsidian pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Local Markdown notes with no fixed fee.
Logseq
Compared with Heptabase: Open-source AGPL-3.0 outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed on its site. Compared with Heptabase you pay nothing and own the files, but you give up its card and canvas view.
Price: Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed) (Logseq pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS. AGPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 45.4k GitHub stars · latest release 2.0.2 (Oct 7, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Outliner-style notes at zero cost.
AFFiNE
Compared with Heptabase: Open-source MIT workspace with free local workspaces and Cloud Basic at 10 GB and three members. Pro is $6.75 a month, billing term unstated. Against Heptabase you gain self-hosting and an open license, and lose its dedicated research workflow.
Price: Free (local workspaces; Cloud Basic has 10 GB of storage, up to 3 members and 10 MB files); paid from $6.75 per month (Pro; the page does not name the billing term) (AFFiNE pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 73.9k GitHub stars · latest release v0.27.4 (Aug 18, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Self-hosted workspace on an open license.
AppFlowy
Compared with Heptabase: Open-source AGPL-3.0 workspace with a Personal plan of 100 MB storage and 7-day version history. Pro is $12 per member a month on annual billing. Compared with Heptabase you gain a free self-hostable app and lose the paid storage headroom.
Price: Free (Personal plan with 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history); paid from $12 per member/month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly, Pro) (AppFlowy pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 77.8k GitHub stars · latest release 0.14.11 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Notion-style workspace with an open license.
Notion
Compared with Heptabase: Free for individuals with unlimited pages and blocks, but limited for workspaces of two or more members, with 5 MB per file. Plus is $10 per member a month. Against Heptabase you gain a database-driven wiki and lose the whiteboard view.
Price: Free (unlimited pages and blocks for individuals but limited for workspaces of 2 or more members, 5 MB per file, 10 guests, 7-day page history); paid from $10 per member/month (Plus; check the pricing page for the billing term) (Notion pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Shared documents and databases for a team.
Which one to pick
- You are a single user who wants no fixed fee: Obsidian
- You want an outliner you can own as files: Logseq
- You want a self-hosted workspace on an open license: AFFiNE
- You need a shared database for a small team: Notion
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Obsidian, Logseq, AFFiNE, AppFlowy, Notion: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Heptabase. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Heptabase, Obsidian, Logseq, AFFiNE, AppFlowy, Notion. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.