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Software · head to head

Mendeley vs Tana

Mendeley logo

Mendeley

Software

The free all-in-one reference manager

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tana logo

Tana

Software

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Mendeley free plan is capped at 2GB storage; unlimited storage requires the MAX plan at $14.99/month or $165/year; Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mendeley and Tana actually diverge.

Attributes where Mendeley and Tana differ
AttributeMendeleyTana
PlatformsWebWeb, Desktop
FoundedUnknown2020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Mendeley

Nothing recorded that Tana does not also cover.

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.

Mendeley

No use cases recorded yet. See the Mendeley review.

Tana

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

Where each one falls short

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

Mendeley

  • Free plan is capped at 2GB storage; unlimited storage requires the MAX plan at $14.99/month or $165/year

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

Mendeley

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Mendeley review.

Tana

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Mendeley if

  • You want to start without paying.
Mendeley 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 Mendeley or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. Mendeley starts at Free and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mendeley or Tana?
Mendeley starts at Free and Tana at Free.
Does Mendeley or Tana run on more platforms?
Mendeley runs on Web. Tana runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Mendeley for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What can Mendeley do that Tana cannot?
Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration.
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