Hjarni vs Heptabase

Heptabase organizes notes visually on whiteboards. Hjarni is a Markdown knowledge base with an official, built-in MCP server.

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Quick answer

Heptabase is a visual knowledge tool built around whiteboards: you arrange note cards on infinite canvases to map ideas. It has no official MCP; a community server works over your exported backups and is read and export only, not live writes into the app, and its AI is built in rather than bring-your-own. Hjarni is a plain Markdown knowledge base with an official, hosted MCP that reads and writes your notes live, from any device and any MCP client. Pick Heptabase if you think spatially and want visual whiteboards. Pick Hjarni if you want a writable, AI-readable Markdown memory with an official MCP.

	Hjarni	Heptabase
Official MCP server Hjarni's MCP is official and built in. Heptabase has no official MCP; a community server works over your exported backups.	Built-in	✕
Live two-way read and write Hjarni's AI reads and writes notes live. Heptabase's community MCP is read and export only over backups, not live writes into the app.	Built-in	✕
Hosted, remote MCP for cloud AI Hjarni answers MCP calls at a hosted endpoint reachable from any device.	Built-in	✕
Visual whiteboards and spatial canvas Heptabase's infinite whiteboards for arranging cards are its core strength.	✕	Built-in
Bring your own AI model Heptabase has its own built-in AI chat. Hjarni connects Claude, ChatGPT, and any MCP client.	✓	✕
Markdown notes Both work in Markdown; Heptabase exports all data to Markdown as a first-class feature.	✓	✓
Export to Markdown Both export Markdown. Heptabase also exports JSON and Mermaid.	Built-in (ZIP)	Built-in
Permanent free tier Hjarni has a free tier (25 notes). Heptabase offers a trial, then paid only.	✓	✕
Full-text search	✓	✓

Visual mapping versus AI-readable memory

Heptabase is a visual knowledge tool. You place note cards on infinite whiteboards and arrange them spatially to map how ideas connect, alongside a journal, tags, and a card library. If you think visually, that canvas is a genuinely different and powerful way to work.

Hjarni is built around a different goal: making your notes something AI can read and write. It is a knowledge base of plain Markdown notes with an official MCP server, so assistants work from the same context across conversations. The shape is a clean note store, not a canvas.

Live read and write versus export-only

The MCP difference is concrete. Heptabase has no official MCP. A community server exists, but it operates over your data backups and exports: it can search, retrieve, analyze, and export to Markdown, JSON, or Mermaid. It does not write live into the app. In practice it is a read-only window onto a snapshot.

Hjarni's official MCP reads and writes live. An assistant can search your notes, open one, update it, and create new notes against the same knowledge base. If you want AI to maintain your notes rather than just read a copy of them, that two-way, live access is the distinction.

If you think spatially and want whiteboards, Heptabase is excellent. If you want AI to read and write a memory live, Hjarni is the better shape.

One AI versus bring your own

Heptabase has its own built-in AI chat. That is convenient, but it is not designed for you to bring your own model. The AI you get is the AI in the app.

Hjarni does not bundle a model. You connect Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, or any MCP client, and the same notes serve every assistant. The knowledge does not live inside one product's AI.

When Heptabase is the better fit

If you think spatially and want to organize and connect notes visually on whiteboards, Heptabase is a strong, distinctive choice. Its Markdown export is first-class too, so your data stays portable even though the workflow is visual.

When teams pick Hjarni instead

The case for Hjarni is an official, hosted MCP with live read and write, bring-your-own-AI across devices, and a plain-text Markdown knowledge base with a free tier. If your priority is AI that maintains your notes rather than a visual canvas, Hjarni fits better.

Hjarni notes are plain Markdown you own, exportable as a ZIP anytime, hosted in the EU.

When to use Heptabase

›You think spatially and want infinite whiteboards to map ideas
›You want to arrange and connect note cards visually
›You are happy with its built-in AI chat

When to use Hjarni

›You want an official, hosted MCP with live read and write
›You want to bring your own AI across devices
›You want a plain-text Markdown knowledge base with a free tier

Heptabase maps your ideas on a canvas. Hjarni keeps your notes where any AI can read and write them.

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Common questions

What is Heptabase?

A visual knowledge-management app. You arrange note cards spatially on infinite whiteboards to map and connect ideas, alongside a journal, tags, and a card library.

Does Heptabase have an MCP server?

No official one. A community server works over Heptabase's backups and exports and is read and export oriented, not live two-way write into the app. Hjarni's MCP server is official, built in, and supports read and write.

Can I import from Heptabase?

Yes. Heptabase exports all data to Markdown as a first-class feature. Import the ZIP into Hjarni and the structure comes across.

Heptabase or Hjarni for AI memory?

Heptabase is spatial and visual, best for synthesizing ideas on a canvas. Hjarni is text-first Markdown designed for assistants to read and write across ChatGPT and Claude. Many people think visually in Heptabase and keep durable notes in Hjarni.

Is Hjarni visual like Heptabase?

No whiteboard. Hjarni builds a knowledge graph from wiki-links that an assistant can traverse, but it is text-first by design rather than a spatial canvas.

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