Softwr

Payroll & Benefits · head to head

Namely vs Tana

Namely logo

Namely

Payroll & Benefits

The HR platform that employees love

From
$18/employee/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: Namely limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions; Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • They diverge on capability: Namely covers HR Management, Tana covers Outliner interface.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Namely and Tana actually diverge.

Attributes where Namely and Tana differ
AttributeNamelyTana
Starting price$18/employee/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Desktop
CategoryPayroll & BenefitsProductivity
Founded20122020

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

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 Namely

  • HR Management
  • Payroll
  • Benefits Administration
  • Time Off Management
  • Performance Management
  • Onboarding
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

Only in Tana

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

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Namely

No use cases recorded yet. See the Namely review.

Tana

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

Where each one falls short

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

Namely

  • Limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
  • Payroll limitations: better served for less complex organizations and struggles with complex time-and-attendance or multi-FEIN scenarios
  • Missing ATS and surveys: lacks built-in applicant tracking system and pulse survey capabilities
  • Slow support response times: pod-based support model has led to slow response times for customers
  • Designed for specific market segment: best fit is mid-sized companies with 50-350 employees

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

Namely

$18/employee/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Namely review.

Tana

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Namely if

  • You need hr management.
  • You also want payroll.
Namely 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 Namely or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. Namely starts at $18/employee/month and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Namely or Tana?
Tana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $18/employee/month for Namely and Free for Tana.
Does Namely or Tana run on more platforms?
Namely runs on 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. Namely starts at $18/employee/month.
What can Namely do that Tana cannot?
Namely covers HR Management, Payroll, Benefits Administration, Time Off Management. Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Namely: Does Namely support global payroll?

Namely primarily focuses on mid-sized US-based companies with 50-350 employees. While it can handle complex payroll scenarios, it is better served for less complex organizations and does not have extensive global payroll capabilities compared to enterprise platforms.

Source
Namely: What is included in Namely's Premium pricing?

Premium plans cost $18-24 per employee per month plus implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs. Plans include payroll, HR, benefits administration, time management, and talent management features.

Source
Namely: Does Namely include performance management features?

Yes, Namely offers customizable performance review modules enabling dynamic, ongoing feedback rather than traditional annual-only reviews. This is one of Namely's standout features.

Source
Namely: How long does Namely implementation typically take?

Namely is designed for mid-sized companies and implementation timelines vary based on complexity. The platform includes implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs in addition to monthly per-employee pricing.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Namely

More on Tana

Keep looking

Other head to heads