You might love the idea of visual thinking, but Heptabase isn’t quite keeping up with how you actually work. Maybe it’s the lack of collaboration, limited multimedia support, or a UI that feels more like a puzzle than a workspace. Whatever’s slowing you down, it’s worth rethinking your setup. In this guide, we will discuss the 7 best alternatives to Heptabase, each with unique strengths depending on how you think, work, and collaborate.

TL;DR: Top Picks

If you want the TL;DR of Heptabase alternatives, here it is:

1. Kosmik - Best for multimedia research and visual collaboration

2. Obsidian - Best for power users who want maximum customization

3. Scrintal - Best for academic research workflows

Now let’s walk you through what makes each one unique, and why you might choose one over the others.

What makes a great visual note-taking tool?

We’ learned that the best Heptabase alternatives need to have a few critical things:

• True visual thinking: Not just notes in boxes, but spatial organization that mirrors how your brain works

• Content flexibility: Can you work with text, images, PDFs, videos, and web content seamlessly?

• Collaboration that works: If you work with others, does sharing feel natural or forced?

• Performance: Does it slow down when you have lots of content, or does it scale gracefully?

• Learning curve vs. power: The sweet spot between "easy to start" and "grows with your needs"

Most reviews of these tools are written by people who've used them for a few hours. This article comes from someone who's spent years thinking about spatial interfaces and what makes them actually useful for real work.

The 7 Best Heptabase Alternatives (Ranked)

1. Kosmik - The multimedia visual workspace

We built Kosmik around the idea that modern knowledge work is multimedia. You're not just working with text, you're dealing with PDFs, web pages, images, videos, and all kinds of research materials. Our infinite canvas lets you organize all of this spatially, while the built-in browser means you can capture inspiration directly without tab-switching.

Pros:

• AI-powered organization: Drop content onto your canvas and Kosmik auto-tags and describes it, making everything searchable

• Built-in browser: Research and capture in one place, press W to browse the web, click to save anything

• Multimedia native: PDFs, videos, images all work natively on the canvas

• Real-time collaboration: Multiple people can work on the same canvas simultaneously

• Source linking: Everything you capture maintains a link back to its original source

Cons:

• We're newer than some alternatives, so the ecosystem is smaller

• Advanced customization options are more limited than tools like Obsidian

• Some users find the spatial approach overwhelming initially

Pricing:

• Free plan ("Rover"): $0 (1 workspace, 3 members, up to 100 file imports, 15MB/file, 50 AI requests/month).

• Plus plan: $6.99/month (billed yearly) or $10.99 billed monthly (unlimited everything and unlimited AI requests, priority support).

• Enterprise: Custom (contact for quote; includes custom integrations, Slack channel, onboarding, and more)

Best for:

Creative professionals, researchers, and teams who work with diverse content types and need visual organization. If you find yourself constantly switching between browser tabs, PDFs, and notes, Kosmik might click for you.

Real user feedback:

"Kosmik v.3.0 - very interesting! It's an interesting app made by a dedicated indie team that cares about what they are doing, are extremely active in their community, and responsive when it comes to bugs & feature requests. The closest tool that I can compare it to is Freeform by Apple and Kosmik is a lot richer and fuller experience. Very fast, macOS desktop app is beautifully designed, in-app browser is a brilliant feature and very useful!"

Benjamin (C0nsilience), rated 9.2/10 on Tool Finder

2. Obsidian - The power user's paradise

Obsidian has built something remarkable: a note-taking system that can become whatever you want it to be. The community around Obsidian is genuinely impressive, and the plugin ecosystem means you can customize almost everything.

Pros:

• Graph visualization: See your entire knowledge network as an interactive web of connections

• Plugin ecosystem: Thousands of community plugins for every imaginable use case

• Local storage: Your data stays on your device in plain Markdown files

• Bi-directional linking: Connections between notes are automatic and discoverable

• Highly customizable: Themes, layouts, and workflows can be tailored extensively

Cons:

• Setup complexity: Getting Obsidian "just right" can take weeks of tweaking

• Mobile limitations: The mobile experience isn't as polished as desktop

• Collaboration gaps: Sharing with non-Obsidian users is awkward

• Time investment: You'll spend significant time configuring rather than creating

Pricing:

• Personal license: Free (local storage only, no built-in sync).

• Sync add-on: $4/month billed annually ($5/month monthly) (end-to-end encryption, version history).

• Publish add-on: $8/month billed annually ($10/month monthly) (publish notes to the web).

• Commercial license: $50/year per user (required if used in business with 2+ employees)

Best for:

Researchers, writers, and technical users who enjoy customization and want complete control over their system. If you don't mind spending time on setup and configuration, Obsidian can become incredibly powerful.

3. Scrintal - Purpose-built for research

Scrintal feels like it was designed by academics, for academics. If your primary use case is research (literature reviews, thesis work, academic writing), Scrintal offers a focused experience that avoids the complexity of more general-purpose tools.

Pros:

• Academic workflow focus: Features specifically designed for research processes

• Visual mind mapping: Clean interface for organizing research visually

• PDF integration: Smooth handling of academic papers and citations

• Research templates: Pre-built structures for common academic tasks

• Gentle learning curve: Much easier to get started than complex alternatives

Cons:

• Narrow scope: Really optimized for academic work, less flexible for other uses

• Smaller ecosystem: Fewer integrations and third-party tools

• Customization limits: Less flexible than more general platforms

Pricing:

• Pro (annual billing): $9/month per user - Get unlimited docs & boards, file uploads, real-time collaboration, and priority support

Best for:

Students, academics, and researchers who want visual organization without complexity. Perfect if you're primarily working with academic papers and research workflows.

4. Notion - The Swiss Army knife approach

Everyone knows Notion. It's incredibly flexible, handles collaboration well, and can become almost anything you need. But that flexibility comes with complexity, and for pure visual thinking, it's not always the best choice.

Pros:

• Extreme flexibility: Databases, templates, automation. Notion can handle almost any workflow

• Collaboration excellence: Real-time editing, commenting, and sharing work smoothly

• Template ecosystem: Massive library of community-created templates

• All-in-one appeal: Reduces the need for multiple specialized tools

Cons:

• Linear structure: Everything feels like pages and databases, not spatial thinking

• Performance issues: Slows down with large amounts of content

• Visual limitations: Not built for true visual/spatial organization

• Complexity overhead: Easy to get lost in configuration options

Pricing:

• Free: $0 (for individuals with 5MB upload limit)

• Plus: $10/month billed annually ($12/month monthly) per user

• Business: $20/month billed annually ($24/month monthly) per user (includes AI features)

• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Best for:

Teams and organizations that need comprehensive workspace functionality beyond just visual note-taking.

5. Logseq - The privacy first open source option

If you care deeply about data ownership and privacy, Logseq deserves serious consideration. It's one of the few tools that gives you powerful knowledge management features while keeping everything local and under your control.

Everything runs locally on your device. No cloud storage by default, no vendor lock-in, and the entire codebase is open source. Plus, it combines block-based editing with graph visualization in a way that feels natural.

Pros:

• Complete privacy: Your data never leaves your device unless you choose to sync it

• Open source transparency: You can see exactly how it works and even contribute

• Block-based + graph: Get both granular organization and visual connections

• Future-proof: Standard Markdown files mean you can always migrate your data

• Growing plugin ecosystem: Community-driven extensions and integrations

• Cross-platform: Works on desktop and mobile with consistent experience

Cons:

• Technical setup: Getting sync and advanced features working requires some technical know-how

• Learning curve: Block-based thinking takes time to internalize

• Smaller community: Fewer resources and tutorials compared to mainstream options

• Mobile app: Still catching up to the desktop experience

Pricing:

• Core app: Completely free and open source

• Self-hosted: Free if you manage your own infrastructure

• Optional sync services: Available through third-party providers or self-hosted solutions

Best for:

Privacy-conscious users, developers, and researchers who want powerful features without giving up data control. If terms like "local-first" and "open source" matter to you, Logseq is worth exploring.

6. Roam Research - The networked thinking pioneer

Roam Research basically created the modern "networked thought" category. While it's no longer the only option, it still has some unique strengths, particularly if you think in terms of connections and relationships rather than hierarchical structures.

The idea that notes should be interconnected webs rather than isolated documents. Every mention of a concept automatically becomes a link, creating a living network of ideas.

Pros:

• Bi-directional linking: Mentions automatically create connections between related concepts

• Daily notes: Structured approach to time-based capture and reflection

• Block references: Link to specific paragraphs across different notes

• Query system: Advanced filtering and search across your entire graph

• Research heritage: Built specifically for serious knowledge work and research

Cons:

• High price: More expensive than most alternatives without clear additional value

• Visual design: Interface feels dated compared to newer tools

• Performance: Can become slow with large amounts of interconnected content

• Mobile experience: Web-only mobile access isn't as smooth as native apps

• Learning curve: The networking approach requires significant mental model changes

Pricing:

• Pro: $15/month or $180/year

• Believer: $8.33/month (requires 5-year commitment for $500 upfront)

Best for:

Researchers, academics, and knowledge workers who naturally think in networks and connections. If you find yourself constantly cross-referencing ideas and building complex argument structures, Roam might click.

7. Milanote - The creative visual organizer

Milanote takes a completely different approach from the other tools on this list. Instead of trying to handle all types of knowledge work, it focuses specifically on visual creativity and mood boarding.

Milanote focus on Visual inspiration and creative project organization. Think mood boards, design research, and creative briefs rather than academic research or technical documentation.

Pros:

• Visual-first interface: Designed specifically for images, inspiration, and visual content

• Creative templates: Pre-built layouts for design projects and creative workflows

• Easy collaboration: Simple sharing for creative teams and client feedback

• Mobile capture: Strong mobile apps for capturing inspiration on the go

• Clean design: Minimal interface that stays out of your way

Cons:

• Text-heavy work: Not built for extensive writing or research

• Advanced features: Fewer sophisticated knowledge management capabilities

• Linking system: Basic connections compared to other alternatives

• Academic use: Not suitable for research or scholarly work

Pricing:

• Free plan: $0 (100 notes, images or links, 10 file uploads)

• Pay per person: $9.99/month billed annually ($12.50/month monthly)

• Upgrade your team: $49/month for up to 10 people

Best for:

Creative professionals, designers, and visual thinkers who prioritize mood boarding and visual inspiration over text-based knowledge management.

Quick feature comparison

Here's how the leading alternatives stack up:

How to choose the right Heptabase alternative

After covering all these options, here's the framework for making the decision:

1. Start with your primary use case

• For multimedia research and creative work: Kosmik's canvas approach and built-in browser make it natural for visual thinkers who work with diverse content types.

• For academic research: Scrintal offers the cleanest experience for scholarly work, while Logseq provides more power if you're willing to invest time in setup.

• For maximum customization: Obsidian wins hands-down, but only if you enjoy configuring tools and have technical comfort.

• For team collaboration: Notion provides the most comprehensive workspace features, though Kosmik offers better visual collaboration specifically.

• For networked thinking: Roam Research pioneered this space and still does it well, though at a premium price.

2. Consider your technical comfort level

Be honest about how much time you want to spend on setup versus actually using the tool. Obsidian and Logseq offer incredible power but require significant configuration. Kosmik, Scrintal, and Milanote prioritize getting you productive quickly.

3. Think about collaboration needs

If you work alone, local storage and privacy (Obsidian, Logseq) might be perfect. If you collaborate frequently, real-time features (Kosmik, Notion) become essential.

4. Evaluate your content types

Are you primarily working with text? Images? PDFs? Web research? Academic papers? Your content mix should influence your choice significantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best free Heptabase alternative?

Kosmik and Obsidian offer the most generous free tiers. Kosmik's free plan includes most visual workspace features, while Obsidian is completely free for personal use. Logseq is also entirely free and open source.

Which alternative is closest to Heptabase's visual approach?

Kosmik offers the most similar spatial thinking experience with its infinite canvas approach. Scrintal also provides strong visual organization but with a more structured academic focus.

Can I migrate my notes from Heptabase to other tools?

Most alternatives support standard formats like Markdown or JSON for import. Kosmik and Notion handle diverse content types well during migration, though complex visual layouts may require manual recreation.

Which tool is best for team collaboration?

Kosmik and Notion lead in collaboration features. Kosmik excels for visual collaborative work, while Notion provides more comprehensive project management capabilities alongside note-taking.

Final Recommendation

Here's the thing: there's no universally "best" Heptabase alternative. The right choice depends entirely on how you think and work.

If you're someone who thinks spatially and works with diverse content types (research papers, web articles, images, videos), Kosmik offers the most natural experience. The infinite canvas approach combined with built-in browsing makes it feel like an extension of how your mind actually works.

Most of these tools offer free tiers or trials. Pick the two that sound most interesting based on your workflow, and spend a week with each. You'll know pretty quickly which approach clicks for your thinking style.

Ready to try visual thinking with an infinite canvas? Kosmik's free plan includes all the core features you need to get started with spatial organization and multimedia research. Give it a try here for free.