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Productivity · head to head

iA Writer vs Tana

iA Writer logo

iA Writer

Productivity

Distraction-free markdown writer with powerful focus mode

From
$4.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tana logo

Tana

Productivity

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tana has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: iA Writer licences are per platform rather than per person, at $49.99 for Mac, $49.99 for iPhone and iPad and $29.99 for Windows; Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • They diverge on capability: iA Writer covers Distraction-free writing, Tana covers Outliner interface.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which iA Writer and Tana actually diverge.

Attributes where iA Writer and Tana differ
AttributeiA WriterTana
Starting price$4.99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMacOS, IOS, IPadOS, Android, WebWeb, Desktop
Founded20082020

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in iA Writer

  • Distraction-free writing
  • Markdown editing
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Dark and light themes
  • Cross-platform sync
  • Typewriter mode
  • Focus mode
  • Statistics

Only in Tana

  • Outliner interface
  • Supertags
  • Live queries
  • AI integration
  • Graph views
  • Email capture
  • API
  • Zapier

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

iA Writer

  • Distraction free markdown writing on desktop and mobilenot Tana
  • Drafting and exporting long form text with focus modenot Tana

Tana

  • Structured note taking with a graph based supertag data modelnot iA Writer
  • Automatic meeting capture with AI transcripts and summariesnot iA Writer
  • Turning notes into queryable structured databasesnot iA Writer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

iA Writer

  • Licences are per platform rather than per person, at $49.99 for Mac, $49.99 for iPhone and iPad and $29.99 for Windows
  • Writing on a Mac and a PC therefore means buying the software twice

Tana

  • The free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • The free plan connects only 1 calendar and allows 50 AI queries
  • Pro is $30 per user per month at standard price, with $20 shown as an early bird rate
  • Max is $120 per user per month at standard price, with $80 shown as an early bird rate
  • Integrations and full MCP require the Pro plan
  • Dedicated support and onboarding, and unlimited agents, skills and types, require the Max plan
  • The Business plan is custom priced, billed yearly and has no published rate
  • The free trial runs 30 days

Pricing, plan by plan

iA Writer

$4.99/month
  • Monthly$4.99/month
    • All platforms
    • Sync
    • All features
  • Annual$39.99/year
    • All platforms
    • Sync
    • All features

Tana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core features
    • Supertags
    • Searches
  • Pro$10/month
    • Advanced AI
    • Priority support
    • Extended history

Which should you pick?

Choose iA Writer if

  • You need distraction-free writing.
  • You work on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want markdown editing.
iA Writer review

Choose Tana if

  • You need outliner interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want supertags.
Tana review

Questions people ask

Is iA Writer or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. iA Writer starts at $4.99/month and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, iA Writer or Tana?
Tana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4.99/month for iA Writer and Free for Tana.
Does iA Writer or Tana run on more platforms?
iA Writer runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS, Android, Web. Tana runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Tana for free?
Yes. Tana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. iA Writer starts at $4.99/month.
What is iA Writer best used for?
iA Writer is most often used for distraction free markdown writing on desktop and mobile, drafting and exporting long form text with focus mode. Of those, distraction free markdown writing on desktop and mobile and drafting and exporting long form text with focus mode are not what Tana is typically brought in for.
What can iA Writer do that Tana cannot?
iA Writer covers Distraction-free writing, Markdown editing, Syntax highlighting, Dark and light themes. Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration.
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