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Productivity · head to head

Tana vs Time Doctor

Tana logo

Tana

Productivity

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Time Doctor logo

Time Doctor

Productivity

Employee time tracking and productivity monitoring

From
$4/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tana has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries; Time Doctor historical tracking data retention is capped by plan: 3 months on Basic and 6 months on Standard, versus 2 years on Premium and Enterprise
  • They diverge on capability: Tana covers Outliner interface, Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tana and Time Doctor actually diverge.

Attributes where Tana and Time Doctor differ
AttributeTanaTime Doctor
Starting priceFree$4/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, DesktopWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows
Founded20202011

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 Tana

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

Only in Time Doctor

  • Time tracking with timer
  • Activity monitoring
  • Screenshots
  • GPS tracking
  • Webcam monitoring
  • Reports and invoicing
  • Mobile apps
  • Team management

What people use each for

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

Tana

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

Time Doctor

  • Productivitynot Tana
  • Collaborationnot Tana
  • Task managementnot Tana
  • Organizationnot Tana

Where each one falls short

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

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

Time Doctor

  • Historical tracking data retention is capped by plan: 3 months on Basic and 6 months on Standard, versus 2 years on Premium and Enterprise
  • HRIS and Payroll native integrations are paid add-ons at $200 per integration per month
  • Software Cost Insights add-on costs $3 per user per month on top of the base plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Tana

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

Time Doctor

$4/month
  • Basic$4/month
    • Time tracking
    • Reports
    • Mobile apps
  • Standard$6/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Activity monitoring
    • Screenshots
  • Premium$10/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • GPS tracking
    • Webcam snapshots

Which should you pick?

Choose Tana if

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

Choose Time Doctor if

  • You need time tracking with timer.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
  • You also want activity monitoring.
Time Doctor review

Questions people ask

Is Tana or Time Doctor better?
Neither clearly leads. Tana starts at Free and Time Doctor at $4/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tana or Time Doctor?
Tana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tana and $4/month for Time Doctor.
Does Tana or Time Doctor run on more platforms?
Tana runs on Web, Desktop. Time Doctor runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
Can I use Tana for free?
Yes. Tana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Time Doctor starts at $4/month.
What is Tana best used for?
Tana is most often used for structured note taking with a graph based supertag data model, automatic meeting capture with ai transcripts and summaries, turning notes into queryable structured databases. Of those, structured note taking with a graph based supertag data model and automatic meeting capture with ai transcripts and summaries are not what Time Doctor is typically brought in for.
What can Tana do that Time Doctor cannot?
Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration. Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, Screenshots, GPS tracking.
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