Subscribe
Sign in
Let me explain which note-taking apps I've been using and what I might use in the future. I started with the commonly used Evernote. Over time, I felt its speed and efficiency didn't meet my needs, prompting a switch. The first app I considered was Notion. Being an early adopter, I bought a membership for over 10 years. Notion's database capabilities are impressive. However, when I needed deeper planning, I turned to XMind—a mind mapping tool I've used for nearly a decade that has significantly benefitted my work and life. I've always sought a tool that combined mind mapping with note-taking. When I came across Heptabase, I immediately gave it a try. Though there are minor issues, the experience is excellent. I particularly resonate with some of Alan's philosophies. After moving away from Notion, Heptabase became my primary note-taking app. Meanwhile, I also tried Obsidian. Its functions were overly complex. Despite being the fastest of all note apps I've tried, I eventually abandoned it. I've also used the SiYuan note app—a remarkable piece of software. The developer's integration skills are simply outstanding. Later, as my work became less complex but required more logging, I sought a quick note-taking tool with efficient block search capabilities. While I still use Heptabase (though less frequently due to its lackluster to-do management), I found Logseq to meet my needs. Its query function is robust, allowing for swift syncing of past notes into new ones, significantly reducing workload. However, it's essential to understand that any unorganized notes will become a mess over time. Many initially believed that bidirectional linking in notes would reduce organizational effort—an unrealistic expectation. Consequently, I returned to Heptabase. Encouragingly, their updated mind map feature is a fantastic aid in organizing thoughts, and their updated tags function similarly to Notion's. What's most impressive is their deep understanding of tags. Such a product can only come from profound contemplation of the ultimate form of note-taking. A common challenge users face is the excessive number of tags, making organization difficult. Heptabase integrates tags with its database, addressing its to-do management shortcoming and optimizing tag utilization. Organizing tags allows for deeper project labeling, reminiscent of my experience with Aeon Timeline. Essentially, it means customizing your database deeply while reusing database tags and quickly accessing all your databases—a feat Notion falls short on. Heptabase's underlying philosophy is that one must organize their notes, offering a clear method through tag marking and optimization. This approach is innovative; I'd even call it genius. But I hope Alan remains humble and continues his hard work. Although a couple of friends I introduced to Heptabase didn't renew their subscriptions, I'll continue to support it. Keep it up!
Congrats & Shout out to Heptabase for their fantastic product. My thoughts are always scattered, and Heptabase helps when I bring them together and make sense of them. I've been enjoying reading the public wiki, and I love how Heptabase elegantly ideates the process of thinking and building knowledge in a product. Kudos to the team 🎉
The level of detail and understanding of human-computer interaction that went into this product is insane. It's different from many other note-taking apps, which have never rethought how note-taking should work on a computer and just built on top of existing paradigms. One example of this is the sidebar of Heptabase, which contains tabs instead of a hierarchy of notes, as most other apps do. I have been looking for a great note-taking app for a long time, and this feels like the one. It's a joy to use Heptabase daily! Great work @alanchan1209 and the rest of the team! 🥳
Heptabase is truly the best way to visualize your thinking. Easy to enter and manage all of your information while providing some of the best PKM UI/UX functionality. So very pleased with the product.
Love the product! It's been game changing when brainstorming to be able to put my thinking in a mind map. Also very impressed by the number of new features that are being pushed by the team on a monthly basis!
