All comparisons

Slashspace vs Heptabase

A Heptabase alternative where the AI does the research with you.

Slashspace is a Heptabase alternative built around AI: any model, including your Claude plan, Orchestrator, desktop agents, every kind of source and 1,500+ apps, on one canvas you keep.

What Slashspace does that Heptabase doesn't

  • Chat on your Claude plan
  • Run local models via Ollama
  • Compare models side by side
  • Branch chats from any sentence
  • Generate images on the canvas
  • Transcribe TikTok, Instagram, X posts
  • Agent uses 1,500+ apps and MCP
  • Agent edits files, runs commands
Slashspace
$89/year, or $249 one-time lifetime
Heptabase Premium
$215.88/year
Heptabase: Pro's AI agent is Gemini-only; Premium adds GPT and Claude.
A Slashspace research canvas: a TED talk, a web article and a research paper wired into a chat, with two branch chats off its answer

Why people switch from Heptabase

  • AI-native, not AI bolted on

    Describe a goal and Orchestrator builds the canvas, then sends subagents to research.

  • Your Claude plan works here

    Claude Code runs on your Claude subscription. Codex, API keys, custom providers and Ollama work too.

  • Every source, read in full

    PDFs, slides, sheets, web pages, YouTube and TikTok posts become nodes you wire into chats.

  • Does real work in your files

    Claude Code, Codex and Cursor organize files, run scripts and write documents for you.

  • 1,500+ apps in Agent mode

    Gmail, Notion, GitHub and your own tools (MCP), one message away. Heptabase's agent can't reach other apps.

Slashspace vs Heptabase at a glance

FeatureSlashspaceHeptabase
Ways to use AI
Chat on your Claude planYes: Yes, through Claude CodeNo: Its own AI can't run on your plan
Use your ChatGPT planYes: Yes, through CodexYes: Yes, through Codex
Use your own API keysYes: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, xAI, OpenRouter and moreYes: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, Vertex
Custom providersYes: Any OpenAI-compatible server, local or hostedPartly: Public HTTPS endpoints only
Run local models via OllamaYes: Through Ollama, free per messageNo: Not possible: endpoints must be public HTTPS
Built-in AIYes: Optional; Auto picks the modelYes: Credits included by plan
Compare models side by sideYes: Branch per model; answers sit side by sideNo: No side-by-side model comparison
Canvas and context
AI-native canvasYes: Orchestrator builds and wires it from a goalPartly: Agent edits cards and whiteboard connections
Context controlYes: Connections decide context; summarized or isolated modesYes: Pick cards, whiteboards, page ranges or single paragraphs
Branch chats from any sentenceYes: Select a sentence, open a new chatNo: No chat branching
Voice inputYes: Dictate into any chatPartly: Voice notes, not chat dictation
Skills and personasYes: Registry or your own skills; per-chat personasPartly: Skills via /, space-wide instructions
Generate images on the canvasYes: Image mode; each result is its own nodeNo: Not offered
Sources
PDFs and Office filesYes: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, CSV and morePartly: PDF, Word, text and images
Web pages and YouTubeYes: Pages and YouTube, full textYes: Web cards and YouTube with timestamps
Transcribe TikTok, Instagram, X postsYes: TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, with transcriptsNo: No TikTok, Instagram or X posts
PDF highlights and notesNo: No highlighting on documentsYes: Highlight and annotate PDFs
Cites the exact passageNo: Answers draw on full sources, no jump linksYes: Links to the paragraph or video timestamp
Zotero syncNo: No Zotero integrationYes: Imports PDFs and annotations, on demand
Agents and tools
Agent uses 1,500+ apps and MCPYes: Agent mode: 1,500+ apps, local or remote serversNo: Its AI can't use outside apps
Agent edits files, runs commandsYes: Edits files and runs commands, with approvalsNo: Its AI works only inside Heptabase
Use from Claude or ChatGPTNo: No MCP server of its ownYes: MCP server, CLI, ChatGPT and Codex plugin
AI TutorNo: No guided learning modeYes: Syllabus and lessons toward your goals
Your work
Plain files you ownYes: Local files on your computerPartly: Local app data, synced to its cloud
ExportYes: Whole canvas as Markdown or JSONYes: Markdown plus a full JSON backup
Card knowledge basePartly: Notes on canvases, not a card libraryYes: Cards, tags, journals and backlinks
Mobile and web appsNo: Coming soon; Mac, Windows, Linux todayYes: iOS, Android and web
Sync and sharingNo: Coming soonYes: Cloud sync, shared whiteboards
Price
PriceYes: $89/year, starting with a 3-day trial (card required), or $249 one-time lifetimeYes: Premium $215.88/year; Pro $107.88/year; 7-day trial
Pay onceYes: $249 one-time lifetimeNo: Subscriptions only
Checked on October 2, 2026.
Sources:

Which one should you choose?

  • Choose Slashspace if you...

    • Want AI that builds and wires the canvas
    • Want to run chats on your Claude plan
    • Want local models through Ollama
    • Want an agent that handles your files and scripts
    • Want a small community where the team answers you

  • Choose Heptabase if you...

    • Curate a card and whiteboard knowledge base for years
    • Highlight PDFs and sync a Zotero library
    • Need iPhone and Android apps with cloud sync
    • Need a web app today; Slashspace's is coming soon
    • Share whiteboards today; shared canvases are coming soon

What is Heptabase?

Heptabase describes itself as an intelligent, visual knowledge base for students, researchers and lifelong learners. You collect PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos and notes as cards, arrange them on whiteboards, highlight and annotate PDFs, and ask its AI agent about your sources. Plans start with a 7-day trial; Pro is $8.99 a month and Premium $17.99 a month, billed yearly. If you're looking for a Heptabase alternative, Slashspace starts from the AI instead: chats, sources and agents on one canvas, run on your Claude or ChatGPT plan, your own keys or local models.

Updated October 8, 2026.

A canvas the AI builds

Heptabase added an AI agent to a card and whiteboard app. In Slashspace the canvas is made of chats, sources and agents, so the AI works on it directly.

  • From one goal. Orchestrator adds and connects chats, notes and sources, then runs subagents.
  • In Slashspace's cloud. Orchestrator runs on a model Slashspace picks, and needs you online.
  • Connections are context. Each chat reads what's wired into it, and context flows down chains.
  • Branch any line. Select a sentence; a new chat opens beside it with full context.
An Orchestrator chat in Slashspace that ran 4 subagents and built a four-week study guide as four connected chats
One goal in. Four subagents and four connected chats out.

Use the AI you already pay for

Heptabase's own AI can't run on your Claude plan, though its MCP server and CLI let Claude use Heptabase data. Slashspace runs chats on that plan, with no usage meter on your own AI.

  • Your plan. Slashspace drives the official Claude Code and Codex CLIs on your computer, signed in with your own account. Usage counts against your Claude or ChatGPT plan.
  • Your keys. OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, xAI, OpenRouter, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Groq and more.
  • Custom providers. Add any OpenAI-compatible endpoint: LM Studio, vLLM, your company gateway.
  • Local models. Ollama runs them on your machine, free per message.
The Slashspace model picker on a chat running a local Ollama model, listing the Claude Code subscription models and Codex
Claude Code, Codex and local models in one picker.

An agent that works on your computer

Slashspace is a desktop app, so Claude Code, Codex and Cursor work in a folder you pick. They read and write files and run commands, with approvals you control.

  • Sort papers into topic folders, with an index of one line per paper.
  • Chart a CSV of survey results with a short Python script, then summarize it.
  • Draft a literature review as a Markdown file from your notes and papers.
  • Rename scanned PDFs by author and year, ready to cite.
Slashspace Settings showing the Subscription Providers page with Cursor, Claude Code and Codex connected
Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, signed in to your own accounts.

Plug in your data and 1,500+ apps

Bring sources however they come; chats work from the whole text, not a search index. What you add is uploaded and stored on Slashspace's servers so the AI can read it.

  • Files: PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, CSV, Markdown, text and images.
  • Web and video: pages, YouTube, and TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Facebook posts with transcripts.
  • 1,500+ apps: Agent mode uses Slack, Google Calendar, Google Drive and more from the directory.
  • Your own tools (MCP): connect a local or remote server.
Slashspace Settings, Connectors, Discover tab: a research partner connector, then Gmail, Composio, GitHub and Google Calendar with their tool counts
Connect apps from the directory, or add your own tools (MCP).

When Slashspace isn't the right fit

Heptabase is still the better choice for some people. Stay with it if you:

  • Curate a knowledge base for years. Cards, tags, journals and backlinks are what Heptabase is built around.
  • Read closely in PDFs. Heptabase highlights and annotates PDFs, syncs Zotero, and links answers to the exact paragraph or video timestamp.
  • Need phone or web apps with sync today. Heptabase has iOS, Android and web apps. Slashspace is a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux; web and mobile apps are coming soon.
  • Share whiteboards today. Shared canvases in Slashspace are coming soon.
  • Want a guided AI Tutor, or want Claude and ChatGPT to reach your notes through Heptabase's MCP server and CLI.

Switching from Heptabase

Once installed, new chats start on the optional built-in AI (Auto), so begin by connecting yours.

  1. Connect your AI: sign in to Claude Code or Codex, add keys, or install Ollama.
  2. Bring your notes: export Markdown from Heptabase, then drop the files onto a canvas.
  3. Add your sources: the same PDFs, web pages and videos, each as its own node.
  4. Give Orchestrator your question. Stuck? Ask the team in Discord.

Related

Frequently asked questions

What can Slashspace do that Heptabase can't?

Slashspace runs chats on your Claude plan or local models, and Orchestrator builds connected chats, notes and sources from one goal. Its agents also work in your files and 1,500+ apps, and any line can branch into a new chat.

Can I use my Claude subscription in Slashspace?

Yes. Slashspace drives the official Claude Code and Codex CLIs on your computer, signed in with your own account, so chats count against your Claude or ChatGPT plan.

Where does my data go?

Canvases are local files on your computer, and Ollama models run there too. Documents, web pages and videos you add are uploaded and stored on Slashspace's servers so the AI can read them, and Orchestrator runs in Slashspace's cloud.

Is there a web app or a way to share canvases?

Not yet: the web app and shared canvases are coming soon. Today Slashspace is a desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Can I bring my Heptabase notes over?

Yes. Export your notes from Heptabase as Markdown, drop the files onto a canvas, then add the same PDFs and links.

What does Slashspace cost?

$89/year, starting with a 3-day trial (card required), or $249 one-time lifetime.

Try Slashspace free for 3 days

Every way to use AI, agents that build and act, PDFs, videos, web pages and 1,500+ apps, on one canvas. A card is required: after the trial it is $89/year, and cancelling before it ends costs nothing. Rather pay once? Lifetime is $249.

Start 3-day trialBuy lifetime for $249