What is Notion?
Notion is adored by millions, but like all things it has flaws. Notion is used for everything from personal notes to team wikis and project management. It's incredibly flexible, but that flexibility comes with trade-offs.
If you're hunting for alternatives, it's important first to establish why you're moving in the first place.
These could be some of the reasons why you might move from Notion: Performance issues with large databases, lack of offline support that actually works, concerns about vendor lock-in with proprietary formats, or the overwhelming complexity when you just need something simpler. Maybe you want something that crosses a blend between these, or just a change of scenery.
Either way, we're here to help narrow down the best Notion alternatives out there. We tested all of these apps for our YouTube channel, Tool Finder. Narrowed the choices and crafted the pros, cons & verdict for you. It is so important to us to help you match to the perfect productivity tool.
Obsidian
Best for Data Ownership
Looking for local-first storage and complete data ownership? Obsidian is a note-taking app that stores everything as Markdown files on your computer. Obsidian and Notion serve different philosophies.
While Notion is cloud-first with databases and team collaboration, Obsidian is local-first with networked notes and knowledge graphs. Both have their place depending on your needs.
Many people find Obsidian's plugin ecosystem to be more robust with over 1,000 community plugins. Notion has integrations but doesn't offer the same level of customization.
Local-first storage means complete data ownership. Markdown files you can access forever. Works entirely offline without limitations. Massive plugin ecosystem for customization. Graph view for visualizing connections between notes. Great for building a personal knowledge base. Much faster performance than Notion with large databases.
No built-in collaboration like Notion. Steeper learning curve than Notion's simple interface. Not ideal for databases and project management. Free for personal use. Sync costs $8/month (or use iCloud/Dropbox for free). Publish is $8/month optional. Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux & Android.
We'd recommend Obsidian as the best alternative for individuals who want complete control over their data and don't need team collaboration. It's perfect for researchers, writers, and anyone building a long-term knowledge base.
Obsidian feels like it does a better job for people who think in interconnected notes and want complete organizational freedom, whilst Notion feels stronger for teams who need databases and structured collaboration.
Both good tools with different strengths. Notion is better for teams and structured data. Obsidian is better for personal knowledge management and data ownership.
Capacities
Best for AI Features
Looking for something with better AI features? Capacities is an AI-focused alternative to Notion with object-based note-taking.
If you're looking for something more AI-native, Capacities might be your bet. It differs from Notion with a focus on objects that create more formalized layouts.
This forces you into a way of organizing, but gives you more clarity to what your note is and is about. Capacities has a unique style of organizing its notes called object-based note-taking. This is a system designed around the concept of creating objects instead of notes to organize your note-taking application.
From the outset, Capacities looks minimal and clean, closely resembling Notion in nature. Many people refer to it as the PKM version of Notion, which is good for those who appreciate aesthetic designs.
Easy to use structured notes with objects. Has local support and can be used fully offline. One of the better designed note-taking apps out there. Great AI chat features for going deeper with notes. Good for daily notes and calendar abilities.
For some people, objects will be time consuming compared to Notion's blocks. Not built as an open source project. Free to use with no limits on note-taking. Premium includes the AI chat features with limits. Premium starts at £8.99 per month (monthly). Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iOS & Android.
Capacities is a cloud-based note-taking app that we'd recommend more for those who want something better for daily notes, that uses AI and has more updated features.
Notion is different from Capacities as it's more team-focused with databases and collaboration, while Capacities feels more like a personal knowledge base with AI assistance.
Capacities is the perfect replacement to Notion if you need more structure from your notes and want AI-powered features for personal use.
Coda
Best for Automation
Looking for more powerful automation? Coda is like Notion but with spreadsheet superpowers and better automation capabilities.
Coda takes the doc-database hybrid concept that Notion popularized and adds powerful formulas, automations, and integrations. If you found Notion's formulas limiting, Coda goes way deeper.
The tables in Coda are more like spreadsheets with real computational power. You can build complex workflows, automation rules, and even full applications within docs. For project management and process automation, it's more robust than Notion.
Powerful formulas and automation. Better for building custom apps and workflows. Strong integration capabilities. Real-time collaboration like Notion. Good for teams that need more than basic databases.
Steeper learning curve than Notion. More expensive for teams. Can feel overwhelming if you just need simple notes. Free tier is limited. Paid plans start around $10/user/month.
Coda is best for teams that outgrew Notion's capabilities and need more powerful automation and formulas.
Anytype
Best for Privacy
Looking for privacy and open-source? Anytype is a local-first, open-source alternative that gives you complete control.
Anytype is built on principles of data sovereignty and privacy. Everything is encrypted and stored locally first, with optional peer-to-peer sync. Unlike Notion's cloud-first approach, you own your data completely.
The object-based system is similar to Capacities but with more emphasis on relationships and types. It's more complex than Notion but also more flexible for building knowledge graphs.
Complete data ownership and privacy. Open-source and local-first. Encrypted by default. No subscription needed (currently). Object-based organization.
Steeper learning curve. Less polished than Notion. Limited collaboration features. Smaller community. Still in development.
Best for privacy-conscious users who want a open-source Notion alternative with complete data control.
ClickUp
Best for Project Management
Looking for better project management? ClickUp combines docs, tasks, and project management in one platform.
ClickUp is more project management-focused than Notion, with robust task management, time tracking, goals, and workflows built-in. The docs feature works similarly to Notion pages but integrates directly with tasks and projects.
For teams that primarily use Notion for project management rather than note-taking, ClickUp offers more specialized features like Gantt charts, resource management, and detailed reporting.
Comprehensive project management features. Better task management than Notion. Time tracking built-in. Multiple view types. Good automation.
Can feel overwhelming with too many features. Steeper learning curve. More expensive for teams. Free tier exists but limited. Paid starts at $7/user/month.
Best for teams that need serious project management capabilities beyond what Notion offers. Check out our ClickUp vs Notion comparison.
Notable Mentions
These are other tools that act or can replace Notion:
Airtable for database-first workflows, Craft for beautiful personal docs, Nuclino for team wikis, Slite for company knowledge bases, and AFFiNE for an open-source option.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best free Notion alternative?
Obsidian for personal use, hands down. It's completely free with unlimited notes, and you only pay for sync ($8/month) if you want their cloud service. Anytype is also free and open-source. For teams, most alternatives charge per user, so Notion's free tier is actually competitive.
Which alternative has better offline support?
Obsidian works entirely offline since files are stored locally. Anytype is also local-first. Notion's offline mode is limited and buggy. If offline access matters, go with a local-first tool.
What's the best Notion alternative for teams?
ClickUp for project management-heavy teams. Coda for teams that need powerful automation. Nuclino for simple team wikis. It depends on your primary use case.
Can I migrate my Notion workspace to another tool?
Yes, but it's not always smooth. Notion exports to Markdown and CSV, which most alternatives can import. But you'll lose some formatting, database relations, and embedded content. Budget time for cleanup. Check out our full guide for migration tips.
Which alternative is best for personal knowledge management?
Obsidian or Capacities. Both are built for PKM workflows with bidirectional linking and knowledge graphs. Notion can work for PKM but isn't optimized for it.
Is there a simpler alternative to Notion?
Craft for beautiful docs without database complexity. Apple Notes if you're in the Apple ecosystem and want dead-simple note-taking. Nuclino for clean team knowledge bases without the overwhelming features.
Which alternative has the best mobile apps?
Obsidian's mobile apps are excellent. Capacities has good mobile support too. Notion's mobile apps work but can be slow. Most alternatives struggle on mobile compared to desktop.