Logseq vs Tana: pricing, features and which to choose

Logseq began in 2020 as an open-source project and grew into one of the best-known privacy-first alternatives to Roam Research and Obsidian. Its GitHub repository has more than 45,000 stars, and its code is licensed under the AGPL. A small core team, about four people according to its forum, builds the app with community contributors, and it is funded partly through Open Collective sponsorships. Logseq attracts students, academics, writers, researchers and software developers who think in outlines and want notes that link together without handing their data to a cloud service. It runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and the web.

Everything in Logseq is a block in an outline. You write in a daily journal by default, then link ideas with [[page]] references or #tags, and backlinks show where every page is mentioned. Blocks can be embedded or referenced elsewhere, so one idea can appear in many contexts. Built-in features include tasks with TODO and NOW states and scheduled dates, queries that pull blocks matching conditions, a graph view, whiteboards for spatial thinking, flashcards with spaced repetition and PDF annotation that links highlights back into notes. The original version stores pages as Markdown or Org-mode files in a folder you choose, so other tools can read them.

Logseq's strengths are its open-source license, local-first storage, powerful block references and queries, built-in journals, flashcards and PDF annotation, and a path to AI through MCP and plugins. Its weaknesses are a long transition to the DB version, beta-quality features, a slower release pace than commercial apps and a learning curve for queries. Obsidian has a larger plugin library and file-based notes, but is not open source. Roam Research pioneered the block outliner as a paid service. Tana and Capacities add structured objects and built-in AI. Notion suits team wikis. Choose Logseq if you want a free, open-source outliner that keeps notes on your own device.

Tana Labs, Inc. presents Tana as an agentic meeting platform separate from Tana Outliner. Native video calls bring team members, AI agents, and shared context into one workspace, while decisions, tasks, drafted pull requests, customer journeys, and project plans enter a persistent context graph. The graph can propose merging recurring people, companies, decisions, or topics. Integrations, an API, an MCP server, export, and access controls are included. Spaces can limit content to everyone in a location, the owner, or selected people. The Free plan includes five hosted meetings monthly, one calendar connection, AI transcripts and summaries, editing, and 50 AI queries. Pro adds unlimited hosted meetings, integrations, and full MCP. Business adds SAML SSO, audit logs, compliance options, and data controls.

Tana supports meetings in its native video environment or through a meeting agent for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Its AI agents can use participant tools such as screen sharing, document editing, and canvas creation. During or after a discussion, Tana can create decisions, tasks, project updates, customer journeys, storyboards, proposals, and other artifacts. Calendar connections import events, while integrations support GitHub, Linear, Jira, Slack, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Claude, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot, and Lovable. External agents can read and write workspace content through MCP, with proposal review for changes. The Free plan includes five hosted meetings monthly, one calendar connection, transcripts, summaries, editing, and 50 AI queries. Pro adds unlimited meetings, integrations, and full MCP for $20 early bird or $30 per user monthly.

Tana’s main limitation is its meeting-centered design. It is not an IDE, production-code host, room-system integration, or replacement for tools such as Lovable or Bolt, though it can pass context to coding tools. Teams must manage access settings, connected services, model-provider policies, proposals, and plan-dependent AI usage. The Free plan includes five hosted meetings monthly, one calendar connection, AI transcripts and summaries, editing, and 50 AI queries. Pro adds unlimited hosted meetings, integrations, full MCP, and a meeting agent for Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. Business adds SAML SSO, audit logs, security controls, and data-residency options. Tana says it does not sell data, advertise with it, or train models on customer content without notice and an opt-out opportunity.