Softwr

Research · head to head

Paperpile vs Tana

Paperpile logo

Paperpile

Research

Reference management essentials

From
On request
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: Paperpile sign-up is Chrome-only: the pricing page states you can only sign up for Paperpile on Chrome; Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paperpile and Tana actually diverge.

Attributes where Paperpile and Tana differ
AttributePaperpileTana
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Desktop
CategoryResearchProductivity
FoundedUnknown2020

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 Paperpile

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.

Paperpile

No use cases recorded yet. See the Paperpile review.

Tana

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

Where each one falls short

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

Paperpile

  • Sign-up is Chrome-only: the pricing page states you can only sign up for Paperpile on Chrome
  • All plans are billed annually with no monthly option, and multi-user licenses cannot mix Regular and Expert tiers

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

Paperpile

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Paperpile review.

Tana

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Paperpile if

Nothing in the data separates Paperpile from Tana on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Paperpile 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 Paperpile or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. Paperpile starts at On request and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paperpile or Tana?
Tana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Paperpile and Free for Tana.
Does Paperpile or Tana run on more platforms?
Paperpile 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. Paperpile starts at On request.
What can Paperpile do that Tana cannot?
Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration.
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