After a lot of tinkering, working and testing, we can finally make it official: DEVONthink 4 is now in public beta.
Looking forward to giving this a test spin!
10 Likes
And while the DT4 beta is very stable, here is as a cautionary note…
And be diligent in your backups (especially local ones), regardless. 
5 Likes
I have been using DEVONthink 4 throughout the limited alpha cycle, and feel it is a remarkable and carefully built upgrade from previous versions of DEVONthink. The integration with and use of Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Perplexity, and others is solid. DEVONthink has always been the best hub for document management for research and professional use, in my experience over the past two decades. The AI tools in DEVONthink 4 take this to a level that no other AI integrations for desktop software have accomplished. (AI integration in Tana is more sophisticated and flexible, but Tana is web based and not useful for document management.) Throughout the testing period, the AI companies improved and expanded the features in their products, and DEVONtechnologies kept abreast of these changes. I’m confident the DEVONthink developers will continue to track with the evolution of AI.
This new DEVONthink 4 is a very powerful tool. This also means it is complex and not simple to learn and full integrate wtih our work and personal use cases. Don’t buy it because someone says you should, or just because it is new. Buy it because you’ve tested it (a long no-cost tire-kicking phase is available) and learn why it is helpful for you.
Katie
8 Likes
I will propose an adjustment: DEVONthink can be used very simply or in very complex ways. If you can use the Finder, you can use DEVONthink. Our app just has waaaayyy more power and functions available, should they be needed.
But thank you for your generous words! 
7 Likes
I’ve been using DT 4 in beta for a couple of months and found it to be stable and great to use.
The GenAI integration will no doubt get all the attention, but honestly, my favorite new features are the improvements to the Markdown editor, including customizable margin widths, typewriter scrolling and WYSIWIG editing.
Most people I see discussing DevonThink here talk about using it for document management while using something else for note-taking and writing, such as Obsidian or Ulysses. I use DevonThink for all three — document management, note-taking and writing — though I also other apps for specific jobs, such as Apple Notes for notes and documents I need fast access to on mobile (such as travel itineraries) and Drafts as a scratchpad for jotting down quick thoughts.
4 Likes
Jim- will v4 sync with DEVONthink to Go on the iPad thru CloudKit?
Yes it will, but do take note of our caution above.
PS: Don’t forget our forums where these things are discussed.
2 Likes
No, No, NO! I had just decided to make an effort to try moving to a Linux OS for my next computer. DevonThink, along with a few other programs, have been big blocking points in that there’s nothing to replace it.
What I needed you to say is it’s moved to being a social media app, with syncing done through some guys basement server in the Patagonian wilds, and enforces a new color scheme of bumblebee yellow and black.
I don’t even really use DevonThink extensively or powerfully (I’m one of those simple implementations) but I have used it for so long now and it’s reliably been a great storage place for tons of important documents, reference manuals, project ideas, PDF magazines to index and search, etc.
On a purely nostalgia related reaction – DevonThink, Omnifocus and (later on) Taskpaper were very fundamental to my buying into the Mac ecosystem and I’ve paid for every upgrade on them as they were released – even if I wasn’t using them regularly.
I’m looking forward to the changes in the Markdown editor. I’ve never really used it as a writing app but would like to.
4 Likes
Sorry to disappoint but unfortunately, DT4 is even more powerful, flexible, and sexier 
than ever!
Check out Settings > Editing > Format for some improved margin and spacing controls.
4 Likes
And a tech note for any interested parties…
Read this if you want to run the DEVONthink 4 Beta…
First…
Optimally, DEVONthink 4 should installed on a separate macOS user account in its own ~/Applications directory to isolate it from other user accounts.
However, if you want to run DEVONthink 4 and use it with your DEVONthink 3 databases, you need to make sure version 3 can’t be launched.
- In the Finder, locate the DEVONthink 3 application.
- Control-click it, and choose Compress…
- After the ZIP file has been made, delete the DEVONthink 3 application - just the application. Do not run any uninstaller applications.
- Launch DEVONthink 4 and it will migrate settings and you can open databases just as you did in version 3. There is no database migration between the versions.
And take note of this from the version history in the Read Me section of the help…
Note: DEVONthink now requires macOS 13 Ventura or later. This is a public beta and should not be used in production environments.
Obviously, the choice is up to you.
Secondly…
Take time to review the Help. At a minimum, the Getting Started section. And if you’re looking for AI information, read the AI Explained section there.
Lastly…
You should be diligent in your backups, especially local ones, in general and while testing our application.
2 Likes
First, I’m excited to hear that DT 4 is coming. I don’t trust myself to use a Beta, but I use DT extensively, and the upgrade purchase will be automatic as soon as it is out of Beta.
Second, I’d love to use DT for my note-taking as well, but I don’t like the mobile app. Because I take a lot of meeting notes on the iPad, I need a good mobile app version.
Are the developers updating the mobile app as well?
2 Likes
I do not know about DEVONthink ToGo future releases. But keep in mind you can use most any editor you want on iOS and save your notes into DEVONthink ToGo. Meanwhile leaps beat to discuss this kind of stuff in the DEVONthink forum for the benefit of many others and drawing on their experience.
3 Likes
That’s a helpful suggestion. I often forget that I can use another editor. But just to clarify—while I can open and edit a document within DTTG, or create a new one in another editor and send it to DTTG or DT, I don’t believe I can open an existing document stored in DTTG directly in another editor, make changes, and have those changes automatically saved back to DT/DTTG. I know this works on the Mac, but I don’t think it’s possible in DTTG. Am I understanding that correctly?
Try the “share” feature.
2 Likes
The new pricing model is, what I’ll call, a quasi-subscription model. But, though I strive to avoid most subscriptions, the way they have structured this seems very fair to me.
One Year of Updates
Starting with DEVONthink 4 we switch from a slow product cycle with large, feature-laden upgrades to a more flexible, more modern model. With the purchase of a software license you receive the app itself including one year of updates. When the year is up, you can extend your licenseto continue receiving updates — but you don’t have to.
Should you choose to not extend the license, you can continue to use DEVONthink; the app just no longer downloads and installs newer updates. The license will neither become deactivated nor restricted in any way. You own the app, we will never take it away from you.
Extend the updates for your license at your convenience. Before the period for included updates is over, we will remind you in good time, and if you extend directly, you will receive a discount. You can also choose to pause a while and extend the updates again later.
2 Likes
OK, I owe you one—coffee, maybe? 
That worked perfectly! I had no idea I could do that. I just shared a Markdown document from DTTG to iA Writer, made a few edits, and closed it—and the changes showed up right in DTTG. That’s fantastic!
With the new Working with Documents features, I could actually see myself moving not only all my note-taking to DT/DTTG, but possibly even my blog writing as well.
Thanks so much for the suggestion!
3 Likes
Learned it in the DEVONthink forum years ago … and in the documentation. Yes, I read that stuff to get ideas.
1 Like
A few other products do this. Agenda, Hookmark, Bike.
I think it’s a nice compromise between software companies needing a better regular flow of income vs the pure subscription overload that the world has become.
Particularly companies that traditionally have big gaps between paid releases.
1 Like
Now I feel bad. 
Not really, I just appreciate the suggestion. I really should read the manual. 
I agree. This approach strikes me as the “Goldilocks” model.