AI Note-Taking pricing compared
What 5 ai note-taking tools actually cost — free tiers, the cheapest paid plan, and where each free plan runs out. Each figure is taken from the vendor’s own pricing page and dated, so you can see when we last checked.
| Tool | Free tier | Cheapest paid plan | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytype | Yes | $4/per month · $4/mo tier | 14 Jul 2026 |
| Obsidian | Yes | $4/user/month · Sync | 14 Jul 2026 |
| Notion | Yes | $10/seat/month · Plus | 14 Jul 2026 |
| Tana | Yes | $20/user/mo · Plus | 14 Jul 2026 |
| Capacities | Yes | ₹419//month · Pro | 14 Jul 2026 |
Prices are as published by each vendor and may be region-specific — many vendors price by country. Confirm on the vendor’s page before buying.
Sorted cheapest paid plan first. A “free tier” means there is a genuinely free plan — tap through to any tool to see the full tier breakdown and exactly where the free plan stops. We list no fabricated prices: where a vendor only quotes “contact sales” we say so.
What drives ai note-taking pricing
Note tools mostly give the app away for personal use and charge for three things: collaboration seats, AI allowance, and hosted services. Notion and Tana are per-seat for teams ($10/$20 Notion; $20/$80 Tana), with AI the headline differentiator — Tana's Plus tier advertises 20x more AI than free. Obsidian inverts the model entirely: the app is free without limits for personal use, and you pay only for optional add-ons — Sync at $4/user/month for multi-device, Publish at $8/site/month — plus a Catalyst supporter tier. Anytype ladders flat personal plans ($4/$8/$16) by storage and teammates, and Capacities splits Free, Pro and a Believer supporter tier. So the driver isn't access to the software — that's typically free — but whether you need team seats, a larger AI quota, cross-device sync, web publishing, or simply want to fund the project. Storage and teammate count set the personal ladders.
How to choose on price
Separate what's genuinely free from what you're actually buying, because for solo users these apps often cost nothing. Obsidian is the sharp example: the app is free forever for personal use, so you pay only if you need Sync ($4) or Publish ($8/site) — buy the add-on, not a subscription. For Notion and Tana, the paid decision is a team one: seats plus AI allowance, where Tana's tiers gate an AI multiplier and Notion's separate Plus from Business on admin and retention. Don't over-buy AI you won't use; the jump to higher tiers is often about quota and controls, not core note-taking. On Anytype and Capacities, match the flat tier to storage and collaborators rather than features. Watch supporter tiers (Capacities' Believer, Obsidian's Catalyst) — they're optional patronage, not required upgrades, so don't mistake them for the functional plan. Pay for sync, seats or AI when you hit a real wall, not preemptively.
AI Note-Taking pricing FAQ
Do I have to pay to use these note apps?
Often not for personal use. Obsidian's app is free without limits for individuals, and Notion, Anytype, Capacities and Tana all offer free tiers, so many solo users never pay. Cost begins when you add team seats, more AI, cross-device sync or web publishing.
Why does Obsidian charge for Sync and Publish instead of the app?
Because those are hosted services, not the software. The editor is free; Sync ($4/user/month) covers encrypted multi-device syncing and Publish ($8/site/month) hosts a public site. You buy the specific service you need rather than a bundled subscription, which keeps light users at $0.
What separates Notion and Tana's paid tiers?
Seats plus AI and administration. Tana's Plus advertises 20x more AI than free and Pro adds more on top; Notion's Plus and Business separate on custom domains, data retention and admin controls. If you don't need the AI quota or governance, the lower tier usually suffices.
What are the "Believer" and "Catalyst" tiers?
Optional supporter plans — Capacities' Believer and Obsidian's Catalyst — that fund the project and add early access or badges rather than essential features. Don't mistake them for the functional paid plan; most users get everything they need without them.
See the full breakdown
Open any tool for its complete pricing tiers, free-tier limits, screenshot and honest review.