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Productivity · head to head

Tana vs Yap

Tana logo

Tana

Productivity

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit TanaFull review
Yap logo

Yap

Productivity

Fast dictation. Private by design.

From
$6.9/month
Free plan
No
Visit YapFull review

The short version

  • Tana is a outliner and knowledge management tool.
  • Tana has a free plan, then $20/mo; Yap starts at $6.9/mo.
  • Only Tana lists outliner interface; only Yap lists dictation at the cursor.
  • Where Tana falls short: the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries.
  • Where Yap falls short: intel Macs are not supported; the Mac app needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later), and the iPhone app needs an iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 or newer.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tana and Yap actually diverge.

Attributes where Tana and Yap differ
AttributeTanaYap
Starting priceFree$6.9/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOSmacOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Identical on both: pricing model (Subscription), category (Productivity).

Not yet recorded: founded for Yap.

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 Yap

  • Dictation at the cursor
  • On-device recognition
  • Automatic language detection
  • Text cleanup
  • Hands-free recording
  • Local history
  • Voice input for coding tools
  • Phone keyboards

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 Yap
  • Automatic meeting capture with AI transcripts and summariesnot Yap
  • Turning notes into queryable structured databasesnot Yap

Yap

  • Dictating emails, messages and documents in any app on Mac or Windowsnot Tana
  • Speaking long prompts into ChatGPT, Claude or a coding agentnot Tana
  • Voice input for developers who cannot send code or screen contents to a cloud servicenot Tana
  • Reducing keyboard use for people with RSI or wrist painnot Tana
  • Drafting by voice where audio must not leave the device, such as legal or therapy notesnot 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

Yap

  • Intel Macs are not supported; the Mac app needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later), and the iPhone app needs an iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 or newer
  • Recognition is local but the app is not fully offline: it needs internet for first launch, activation and periodic access checks, and offline access lasts at most 24 hours
  • The Windows installer downloaded from the website is not code-signed, so Windows shows a SmartScreen warning; the Microsoft Store version is signed
  • 25 languages are supported, and the vendor notes accuracy varies by language, voice and recording conditions
  • The free period is only 3 days, after which continuing requires a card for the 10-day trial; there is no free tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Tana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 hosted meetings monthly with AI transcripts
    • 1 calendar connection
    • 50 AI queries
  • Pro$20/mo
    • Early bird pricing (regular $30/month)
    • Unlimited hosted meetings
    • Botless meeting agent for Zoom, Teams, Google Meet
  • Max$80/mo
    • Early bird pricing (regular $120/month)
    • 5x more AI than Pro plan
    • Dedicated support and onboarding
  • BusinessOn request
    • Custom pricing (billed yearly)
    • SAML SSO and advanced security controls
    • Designated customer success manager

Yap

$6.9/month
  • Monthly$6.9/mo
    • Unlimited on-device dictation
    • 25 languages, detected as you speak
    • Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android
  • Yearly$69/yr
    • Same app and features as monthly
    • Saves $13.80 a year against monthly billing
    • 10-day trial with a card

Which should you pick?

Choose Tana if

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

Choose Yap if

  • You need dictation at the cursor.
  • You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want on-device recognition.
Yap review

Questions people ask

Is Tana or Yap better?
Neither clearly leads. Tana starts at Free and Yap at $6.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tana or Yap?
Tana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tana and $6.9/month for Yap.
Does Tana or Yap run on more platforms?
Tana runs on Web, Windows, macOS. Yap runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
Can I use Tana for free?
Yes. Tana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Yap starts at $6.9/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 Yap is typically brought in for.
What can Tana do that Yap cannot?
Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration. Yap covers Dictation at the cursor, On-device recognition, Automatic language detection, Text cleanup.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Tana: What is Tana's cheapest paid plan?

Tana Pro starts at $20/month with early bird pricing (regular $30/month) per user, offering unlimited hosted meetings and AI transcripts.

Source
Yap: How much does Yap cost?

A free account works for 3 days with no card. After that a 10-day trial with a card leads to $6.90 a month or $69 a year. Cancel before the trial ends and you are not charged.

Source
Tana: Does Tana offer a free trial?

Yes, Tana provides a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, plus a 60-day refund window for yearly plan subscribers.

Source
Yap: Does Yap upload my voice?

No. Speech recognition runs on the device and audio is not uploaded to a transcription service. Completed text is kept in a local history you can copy or delete. An internet connection is needed to download the speech model on first use.

Source
Tana: What is the difference between Tana Pro and Max plans?

Max provides 5x more AI than Pro ($80/month early bird or $120 regular), dedicated support, onboarding, and unlimited agents and skills.

Source
Yap: Which computers does Yap run on?

Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) and Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Intel Macs are not supported. There are also apps for iPhone (iOS 17 or later) and Android 10 or later, covered by the same subscription.

Source
Yap: Which languages does Yap support?

25 languages. Each recording detects its own language from the audio, so there is no need to select languages in advance.

Source
Yap: Does Yap work offline?

Transcription runs locally, but internet access is required for first launch, activation and periodic access checks. Offline access lasts up to 24 hours.

Source
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