15 of the Best Notion Alternatives You Should Try Out

Despite marketing itself as a project management platform, Notion lacks essential tools like time tracking, estimates, and app integration. You may need an alternative that best aligns with your workflow. This list walks you through 15 Notion alternatives that are convenient, user-friendly, and efficient.

Tip: Notion isn’t the only way to work more efficiently. You can boost your productivity with Chrome extensions, too.

1. ClickUp

Pricing: $0 to $19/month (based on version)

ClickUp helps individuals and teams manage tasks, workflows, and projects efficiently. It has a considerably extensive suite of tools, including time tracking, calendars, screen recording, instant messaging, a personal notepad, and more.

ClickUp lets you easily create customized dashboards, track relevant metrics, and monitor performance indicators. It also provides more detailed user roles and permissions than Notion, ensuring every team member has the necessary access to complete their tasks effectively. Since it supports multiple workspaces, you can manage and organize different projects without overlap. Lastly, ClickUp offers more budget-friendly pricing plans for small teams than Notion.

Pros

• Offers an extensive feature set
• Simple to use
• Supports third-party connectors to link other installed applications

Cons

• Task-oriented as opposed to project-oriented

2. Evernote

Pricing: $0 to $7.99/month

Evernote is a note-taking application that helps create, organize, and share digital notes across multiple devices. It includes collaboration tools for sharing and working on notes with others, making it useful for teams.

Although Evernote has a limited task or project management use, its cross-platform syncing capabilities make it a great alternative to Notion. You can easily integrate it with project management platforms like Asana. Its unique features include web clipping for saving online content and document scanning for digitizing physical documents to be saved as searchable notes. It also offers rich text editing features and supports offline note-taking.

Pros

• Excellent search capabilities
• Offers third-party app integration
• Supports speech-to-text and keyboard

Cons

Good to know: if you’re using Evernote primarily for note-taking, these Evernote alternatives may be more beneficial.

3. Workflowy

Pricing: Free for Basic ($5/month for Pro)

Workflowy is another Notion alternative that offers a straightforward, user-friendly solution. It allows you to drag and drop files in a line without switching between apps.

Workflowy features a robust search system to search through files and documents instantly. You can also add tags, which makes it easier to filter information. But the thing that makes Workflowy stand out is its shortcuts. You can use keyboard shortcuts to reorder your priorities quickly. Another great feature of Workflowy is its speed. It is a smooth-running platform with a simple feature set that quickly saves your notes and information.

Pros

• Minimalistic and clutter-free interface
• Supports cross-platform integration
• Deep nesting stores everything in a hierarchical structure

Cons

• No open-source functionality

4. nTask

Pricing: Starting at $3/month

nTask is one of the greatest Notion alternatives, as it is one of the best project and task management tools. With this tool, you can track and manage all your tasks and procedures. You can manage the data related to your project from a single interface. Besides its extensive feature set, nTask offers multiple integrations with Google, Teams, Slack, and more. This streamlines workflow and team collaboration.

nTask has a color-coded organization system which makes task management easier. It also offers Kanban boards to manage workflows, making it easy to visualize tasks and move them through different stages of completion. The tool also includes time tracking and timesheet reporting features, which are essential for boosting productivity.

Pros

• Capacity for integration
• User-friendly design
• Efficient task tracking

Cons

• Offers limited formatting and customization options

Good to know: The best project management tools work well for individuals and larger teams.

5. Todoist

Pricing: $0 – $6/month based on tier you select

Todoist is task management software for creating and sharing to-do lists. You can also create tasks with subtasks, prioritize activities, utilize labels, and add filters for straightforward searching. With the option to assign delegation and establish reminder notifications, your team will fully know what must be done, by whom, and when.

When you add tasks to Todoist, they are categorized into projects or an inbox. You can create sub-projects inside of projects and divide extensive duties into smaller sub-tasks to organize your work. Unlike Notion, Todoist is solely dedicated to task management. Even though you have limited options, you get a clean and clutter-free interface that is easier to navigate.

Pros

• Automatic and dependable synchronizing
• Lightweight program
• Integration with several additional programs

Cons

• User roles only available in the Business plan

Tip: These Todoist tips will make you more productive.

6. Google Keep

Pricing: Free

Google Keep is a potent to-do list and note-taking tool, all in one. What makes Google Keep an excellent alternative to Notion is its offline access. Notion doesn’t have an offline mode, which can be an issue for on-the-go note-taking. Apart from that, Keep’s straightforward interface makes it easier to use, even for beginners.

Collaborating with others is easy, as you can share your notes with them, allowing for a seamless teamwork experience. Packaged with tools like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, you can easily convert images and PDFs into text and add them to your notes. The color-coded system helps users organize their notes by priority, category, or any other classification they choose.

Pros

• Supports handwritten notes
• Reminders based on place and time for notes
• Supports voice recording transcription

Cons

• Doesn’t support folder organization

Good to know: Many handy Google Keep tips and tricks make it even easier to use.

7. Nuclino

Pricing: $0 – 10 per month based on tier

“Your team’s collective brain” is how Nuclino markets itself to explain how the program works. Unlike Notion, Nuclino doesn’t complicate your workflow. It replaces the cumbersome menus and rarely-used features with essentials like search, content organizing, and collaborative editing.

Nuclino’s user interface is uncluttered, straightforward, and distraction-free. Plus, you don’t need to be tech-savvy to use Nuclino, as it doesn’t need heavy configuration. There is hardly any learning curve for new users during the first setup. Nuclino also has quick page loading speeds, which expedite your workflow. You can integrate up to 40 apps with Nuclino.

Pros

• Supports multiple integrating apps
• Features an easy-to-use web clipping tool
• Supports hierarchical tagging

Cons

8. Microsoft OneNote

Pricing: Included in Office365 subscription

Microsoft OneNote is a multipurpose digital notepad that offers many valuable features. Take notes quickly and record your thoughts in various formats, including words, photographs, etc. It will store your data, information, research, and other notes in a structured manner and also has many templates to boost your productivity. Share or keep the storage to yourself.

Moreover, thanks to the app’s cross-functional uses, you can sync and share your notes with other devices, and add sticky notes and annotate them with a stylus or fingers. Unlike Notion, OneNote also supports OCR, making it possible to extract text from images.

Pros

• Tools for creating lessons for instructors
• Library of shareable material
• Adding comments to documents is easy

Cons

• Integrations are limited to Microsoft products

Tip: learn the most frequently used OneNote keyboard shortcuts to save time when using this app to take notes or organize information.

9. ProofHub

Pricing: Starting at $45 per month (after 14-day free trial)

ProofHub is a user-friendly and feature-rich project management and team collaboration tool. It is accessible from anywhere on any device, and its intuitive UI and low learning curve make it easy for not-so-tech-savvy users.

ProofHub provides a complete solution for project management, compared to Notion, which is essentially a note-taking tool. One of its most notable features is the dedicated notes section, which allows users to create topic-specific notebooks for their work. ProofHub offers multiple project views to suit team needs and preferences, including boards, timelines, and table views. It also has a responsive customer support team to address all your inquiries knowledgeably.

Pros

• Easy and quick setup
• Syncs multiple software and features
• Direct instant messaging improves communication

Cons

• There’s no free version

10. Coda

Pricing: Free for Base Version (some features require paid plan)

Coda is a versatile platform that provides powerful word processing, spreadsheet, and database functions. This makes it an ideal solution for individuals and businesses that require a comprehensive toolset to manage their projects and data. Coda can also integrate with other applications, allowing you to transfer data between different platforms seamlessly. It also offers different customizable views, so you can personalize the platform’s interface to suit your preferences.

As with Notion’s template library, Coda provides a vast collection of templates to help you get started on your projects quickly. Besides its extensive feature set and workflow automation, Coda offers more add-ons than Notion. Plus, the Coda team regularly releases plenty of updates.

Pros

• Features an extensive templates library
• Offers real-time collaboration
• Offers a more versatile feature set

Cons

• The free tier limits the document size

Also helpful: If you work remotely, these online tools for remote teams may help even more than a Notion alternative.

11. Taskade

Pricing: Free for Base Version (paid plans also available)

Taskade is designed primarily for remote teams to organize tasks, take thorough notes, and automate time-consuming tasks. The best thing about Taskade is its built-in video calling features that let you communicate with your team without leaving the platform.

Another feature that Notion lacks but Taskade offers is time blocking. This feature allows you to structure your schedule better and account for lost time. It is also easier to set up and start working with. Create mind maps and organizational charts with Taskade to take data visualization further but stick with Notion for creating wikis and databases.

Pros

• Supports video calls
• Easy to use
• Allows you to design visual workflows

Cons

• Free version has limited features

12. Monday.com

Pricing: Free for Individual Plan

Monday.com is a teamwork and project management platform with a spreadsheet-like interface and ready-to-use templates. You can tailor the interface to your company’s requirements and use templates to create projects, such as product launch plans, marketing campaigns, or team onboarding processes.

Monday.com also integrates with other popular tools, including Google Drive, Outlook, and Slack. This lets you bring all your work in one place and keep your team connected with your preferred communication channels.

Another great feature is its customizable automation. You can create rules and triggers to automate repetitive tasks, like sending reminders, updating statuses, or assigning tasks to team members. Unlike Notion, monday.com provides time tracking and Gantt charts for project management.

Pros

• Supports color coding
• Features over 200 templates
• Daily live webinars for all plans

Cons

• Per-user pricing plans are confusing and expensive

Good to know: Apps like Monday let users organize information into Kanban boards, which can be incredibly helpful.

13. Nimbus Note

Pricing: $0 – 8 per month depending on selected tier

Nimbus Note is an award-winning note-taking and organization tool. You can easily access the program, as it is available on all popular platforms and devices.

While Notion and Nimbus offer browser extensions, Nimbus Web Clipper is more versatile. Notion Web Clipper only saves text and links, while Nimbus can save text, links, photos, PDF files, and bookmarks. Nimbus Note lets you access your saved info anytime, anywhere, with just a click.

It is also more flexible when incorporating diverse objects, including tables, spreadsheets, images, and videos, in addition to conventional text formatting. Also, you can highlight everything and mark the crucial information for assistance during meetings.

Pros

• Offers many visual customization options
• The block-based editor makes customization easy
• Syncs customized notes across devices

Cons

• Search feature doesn’t work flawlessly

14. Confluence

Pricing: $0 – 11 per month, depending on plan you select

Confluence is a credible Notion substitute made to be a remote-friendly team workspace that encourages teamwork and communication. It functions more as a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing than a project management tool.

Confluence can integrate with a broader range of apps and plugins to connect the tools you already use. It has a draft mode and publishing workflow, an improvement over Notion, where all content is editable by default. This feature makes it easier to prevent accidental edits, ensuring your work remains accurate and up to date. While Confluence may be less flexible and versatile than Notion, it is easier to set up and start.

Pros

• Excellent knowledge base
• Adequate security measures
• Allows real-time collaborative editing

Cons

• Search feature acts up at times

15. Basecamp

Pricing: 30-day free trial, then $15 per month

Basecamp is an easy-to-use, no-code platform that’s perfect for working on projects across departments. It has templates, group chat, inbox notifications, built-in time tracking, task priority level assignment, and the capacity to produce data reports.

While Notion boasts a wide range of features, navigating it can be overwhelming. In contrast, Basecamp has a more limited feature set, but it is more intuitive and straightforward.

One area where Basecamp particularly shines is in its ability to facilitate collaboration with external partners and clients. Basecamp makes it easy for teams to share information, files, and updates with external stakeholders, streamlining communication and reducing the need for multiple platforms.

Pros

• Uses hill charts for tracking progress
• Features built-in time tracking
• Built-in calendar makes it easy to keep track of your schedule

Cons

• Lacks customization for complex projects

_{Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Ojash Yadav.}