---
title: "Savepad as an Are.na alternative"
description: "How Savepad compares to Are.na. Are.na is for collecting and connecting ideas, often in public. Savepad is a private swipe file you can share bits of."
source: https://savepad.app/compare/are-na
---
# Savepad as an Are.na alternative

Are.na is one of the good ones. Paid for by its members, no ads, and a community of people doing thoughtful research in public. If you want to follow other people's channels, go there. Savepad is private first, built for work references, with a public page when you want one.

[Join the waitlist](https://savepad.app/#waitlist) [Head to head](#head-to-head)

*Savepad and Are.na, side by side*

## Where Are.na wins

- **Community.** Follow people, find channels and connect your blocks to theirs. Savepad has no social side at all.
- **Connections.** A block can live in many channels and you can follow those links around. Savepad lets a save sit in many folders, and stops there.
- **How they make money.** Paid for by members, with no ads. Savepad works the same way.

## Where Savepad wins

- **Previews that fit the thing.** Emails, PDFs, fonts, code, recipes and places each open the way they should.
- **Search inside everything.** Page text, PDF text and the words in screenshots.
- **Private until you say so.** Nothing goes public until you switch it on, one space, folder or tag at a time.

## Head to head

| Feature | Are.na | Savepad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Follow other people | Yes | No |
| Private by default | Per channel | Yes |
| Emails, sequences and ads | No | Yes |
| Search the text in images | No | Yes |
| Public pages | Yes | Yes |
| AI features | No | No |

Checked against [Are.na’s website](https://www.are.na) on 28 September 2026. Something out of date? [Let me know](mailto:r@savepad.app?subject=Savepad%20vs%20Are.na) and I'll fix it.

## Which one is for you?

### Stay on Are.na

If the public, connected, community side of research is the whole point.

### Pick Savepad

If you want a private swipe file for work, with a public page for the bits you choose.

### Moving over

Put your links in a CSV, one URL per row is enough, and import it. Savepad fetches every link again and makes a fresh preview.

## FAQs

### Is Savepad a social network?

Nope. No following and no feed. A public Savepad is a page you share, like a portfolio.

### Can I use Savepad and Are.na together?

Sure. Lots of people keep Are.na for what it's best at and use Savepad as their swipe file. You can export everything from Savepad whenever you like, so you're never locked in.

### Does Savepad use AI?

Nope. No summaries, no auto-tagging, and nothing gets sent to a model. If you want AI, connect your own over MCP.

## More comparisons

- [Savepad vs Savee: Savepad as a Savee alternative](https://savepad.app/compare/savee)
- [Savepad vs Cosmos: Savepad as a Cosmos alternative](https://savepad.app/compare/cosmos)
- [Savepad vs Eagle: Savepad as an Eagle alternative](https://savepad.app/compare/eagle)

## Want in first?

Savepad launches soon. Leave your email and I'll let you know when it's live.