Notion is an app that pledges to do it all in project management, note-taking, and cross-platform collaboration. It’s a popular app with what seems like legions of fans, but does it live up to the hype?
Read on to see our Notion app review and see for yourself whether it’s the best option for you.
To help you decide whether to go with Notion or another platform, we'll break down this Notion app review into several sections, including features, the pros and cons of Notion, and some potential alternatives.
Notion calls itself an all-in-one workplace for productivity and project management. It can be a writing space, an app for task management, a calendar or database, and more. In other words, there's a lot of functionality here.
The app's breadth of features enables its flexibility. At its heart is a note-taking interface that you can use to jot down ideas, notes, or journal entries and sync them across any device that can run the Notion app or a web browser.
Notion goes further than that, however. It can be used as a collaborative task management software, which lets users drag and drop calendars, timelines, and other assets to help keep both individuals and teams on track.
As many Notion app reviews out there point out, the app can be confusing and hard to navigate when you're getting started — there's definitely a learning curve. It's also missing some specific features, such as the ability to group rows in a table and the ability to integrate with third-party services.
Notion has several pricing tiers that can fit the budget of various individuals and teams.
For one, the basic app is completely free to use. This free tier comes with unlimited pages and blocks, cross-device syncing, and the ability to share content with up to five guests. It works pretty well for most casual users.
There's also a Personal Pro plan that costs $5 a month and includes some advanced functionality and features like unlimited guests and unlimited file uploads. A Team plan that allows for collaboration between team members costs $10 a month, or $8 if billed annually.
The free version of Notion is a great option for those who want a basic note-taking and project management system in a single app. It's great for organizational and productivity uses.
Smaller teams can also benefit from the $10-a-month Team plan, which has some solid benefits and additional functionality — such as collaboration features — for smaller organizations.
The free version of Notion is a great option for those who want a basic note-taking and project management system in a single app. It's great for organizational and productivity uses.
Smaller teams can also benefit from the $10-a-month Team plan, which has some solid benefits and additional functionality — such as collaboration features — for smaller organizations.
Yes, Notion is actually a good app. It's well-made and offers some robust features, particularly for casual users who might not need more than what's offered in its free tier.
However, Notion is not going to be for everyone. And if you're looking for the best project management, note-taking, and knowledge storage app on the market, there are other worthy — and, in some cases, better — alternatives.
Speaking of alternatives, here are some excellent options you can use instead of Notion.
Teams who are serious about project management should highly consider Almanac. This is an app designed specifically for asynchronous workflows. It's built around a document editor with version control, but it also packs some serious features that can help your organization replace Slack, email, and other collaboration tools.
It's an outstanding option for both building a knowledge management system or as a project management tool for distributed teams. You can use it as a note-taking app, but it also features additional capabilities like the ability to ask for feedback or reviews on version changes. Best of all, each workflow remains highly organized and transparent, making working together a cinch.
The chart below makes it even easier to see the differences between Notion, Almanac, and other alternatives.
Evernote is a great app for cross-platform note-taking. It's an older productivity app that's been around for a while, but it still has features that keep it up-to-date.
The app focuses on the ability to create notes and sync them across platforms. It also features a great web clipping application and some features aimed at collaboration, but it isn't necessarily a full-fledged project management platform.
OneNote is another note-taking application that can be thought of like a digital notebook that's accessible across your devices. You can write notes, organize them into sections, and navigate your content later for easy retrieval.
The platform doesn't integrate well with other apps, however. Also missing are more advanced features like version control and the ability to work with multiple notes at once.
Quip is a platform that brings document, task, and spreadsheet collaboration features to an app that has a built-in chat. Because of that, it's a decent option for distributed teams and remote workflow applications.
There's a bit of a learning curve to Quip, especially if you've come from similar collaboration platforms. Additionally, users report that there could be issues with latency and syncing.
Google Keep is a simple note-taking and syncing app that allows users to create and store ideas across their various devices. It features a well-designed interface, a high storage limit, and features that make it easy to share content with others.
However, Google Keep is missing a lot of advanced features that you'd find in similar note-taking apps. While it may be great for individual users, it isn't the best choice for distributed teams or enterprise applications.
Simplenote, as the name suggests, offers a clean and easy interface for storing and syncing your notes. It's a cross-platform app that has some collaboration tools built-in and even has a note version history feature to let you see changes.
Unlike some of its competitors, Simplenote only supports text notes, however. It's also missing notebook and folder organization options, advanced formatting tools, and a web clipping feature. It's a good choice for those who only want the basics, but users who need more advanced functionality should look elsewhere.
Notion is a good choice for users and teams who want a distributed project management and note-taking app. However, there are many options and alternatives to Notion that you should consider.
Competitors, and especially Almanac, can offer even more functionality than Notion does. Almanac is also available at a competitive price point that gives Notion a run for its money.
Professional users and organizations who need the best in project management, knowledge management, or task management should consider Almanac as a serious contender. It offers everything Notion has, and more.
