Alternatives to Notion
Notion alternatives for notes, project management, spreadsheets, and whiteboard collaboration
Many companies use Notion, especially async-first companies. It is the go-to tool when it comes to notes, lists, to-dos, whiteboarding, and much more.
However, Notion is not always the best tool. I personally do not like the formatting handling, but that is only a personal thought. If you like Notion, feel free to continue to use it.
There are a couple of tools build for note-taking and collaboration that may serve you better than Notion. They are specialized in specific areas. This is a list of possible alternatives to Notion that companies, product teams and product managers can use:
Notes and collaboration
Evernote: A popular note-taking app with robust features for capturing and organizing text-based information.
Google Workspace: A suite of cloud-based productivity tools including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more.
Microsoft OneNote: A note-taking app that allows users to create digital notebooks and organize information across devices.
Atlassian Confluence: A team collaboration software that allows users to create, organize and share content in one centralized platform.
Coda: A flexible and customizable tool that allows users to create documents, tables, and project management tools all in one platform.
Zenkit: A project management tool that allows users to create databases, mind maps, and calendars, and has integration options with other tools.
Quip: A collaborative productivity tool that allows users to create documents, spreadsheets, and task lists, and has real-time collaboration features.
Notability: A note-taking app that allows users to annotate PDFs, create sketches, and record audio notes.
Project management / task management / data
Trello: A simple and flexible project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help teams stay organized.
Mattermost Boards (formerly Focalboard): An open-source project management tool, focused on Kanban-style boards.
Asana: A project and task management tool that helps teams stay organized and collaborate in real-time.
Monday.com: A visual project management tool that uses boards, timelines, and calendars to help teams manage tasks and deadlines.
Atlassian Jira: A software development tool that helps teams plan, track, and release software.
Wrike: A project management tool that helps teams plan, collaborate, and track progress in real-time.
Basecamp: A project management tool that combines task lists, schedules, and communication tools in one platform.
Todoist: A task management tool that allows users to organize tasks, set deadlines and track progress.
ClickUp: A project management tool that allows users to create tasks, timelines, and Gantt charts, and also has a built-in time tracking feature.
Better Spreadsheets
Microsoft Excel: The most common spreadsheet software. Better experience in the cloud than you are used to, yet with some interesting new competitors (see below)
Airtable: A powerful database management tool that combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the power of a database.
Smartsheet: A spreadsheet-like tool that allows teams to create custom workflows and collaborate on projects.
Rows: A spreadsheet-like tool that includes many possibilities of automation and integration.
Baserow: An open-source spreadsheet with integrations and automations. Comparable to Airtable.
Whiteboards for creative collaboration
Miro: Work creatively on a infinite whiteboard. Place sticky notes on the whiteboard, draw connections, group sticky notes, and see what others are doing simultaneously.
Mural: A major competitor to Miro with a similar product.
Apple Freeform: Apple’s new product to compete in the whiteboards space. Limited functionality compared to Miro and Mural, but also worth a try.
Microsoft Whiteboard: Microsoft also joined the whiteboard space with a product.