Our verdict
Choose Notion for flexible, pleasant docs across the business. Choose Confluence if your team lives in Jira and needs structured documentation.
Notion is a flexible workspace for docs, wikis and databases. Confluence is Atlassian's structured knowledge base, designed to sit alongside Jira.
Choose Notion if…
- You want flexible docs and databases
- Non-technical teams will use it
- You like a modern editor
C Choose Confluence if…
- You use Jira
- You need strict permissions and structure
- Documentation is engineering-led
Side by side
| Criterion | Notion | Confluence |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.4 / 10 | 8.2 / 10 |
| Features & fit | 8.8 | 8.2 |
| Ease of use | 8.4 | 7.6 |
| Value for money | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Support & reliability | 7.6 | 7.6 |
| Security & privacy | 8.0 | 8.6 |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 8.4 | 8.6 |
| Starting price (indicative) | Free for individuals; paid from around $10–12 / seat / month | Free; paid from around $5–6 / user / month |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Company wikis and documentation | Jira users |
Feature by feature
| Feature | Notion | Confluence |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, up to 10 users |
| Databases | Excellent | Limited |
| Jira integration | Via integrations | Native |
| Permissions | Good | Granular |
| AI | Built-in | Atlassian Intelligence |
| Best for | General team workspace | Jira-centred documentation |
Pricing compared
Notion
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | — |
| Plus | ≈ $10 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Business | ≈ $20 / user / mo | Billed annually; includes AI |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | — |
C Confluence
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 10 users |
| Standard | ≈ $5.20 / user / mo | Monthly |
| Premium | ≈ $9.70 / user / mo | Monthly |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Quote |
| Team size | Notion | Confluence |
|---|---|---|
| 5 seats | $50 (Plus) | $26 (Standard) |
| 10 seats | $100 (Plus) | $52 (Standard) |
| 25 seats | $250 (Plus) | $130 (Standard) |
Indicative USD list prices; excludes tax, add-ons and promotions. Confirm on each vendor’s site.
Flexibility
Notion's databases and pages can model almost anything. Confluence is more opinionated about spaces and page trees.
Jira integration
Confluence links naturally with Jira issues and projects.
Editor
Notion's editor is widely considered more pleasant.
Who it suits
Confluence is built for software and IT teams, integrating tightly with Jira for specs, requirements and runbooks. Notion suits a wider range of teams thanks to flexible databases and a clean editor.
Permissions and governance
Confluence offers mature space permissions, page restrictions and admin controls that larger organisations rely on. Notion's permissions are simpler and improving, with enterprise controls on higher plans.
Pros & cons
Notion
- Extremely flexible pages and databases
- Excellent for documentation
- Large template gallery
- Requires structure to avoid sprawl
- Offline support is limited
C Confluence
- Deep Jira integration
- Strong permissions and page trees
- Many templates
- Editor less fluid than Notion
- Search can be inconsistent
Key features of each
Notion
- Databases. Tables, boards, calendars and timelines.
- Wiki. Verified pages and team spaces.
- Notion AI. Writing, summarising and Q&A.
- Templates. Thousands of community templates.
Integrates with: Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Jira, Figma.
C Confluence
- Spaces & page trees. Organise documentation by team.
- Templates. Requirements, retros, meeting notes.
- Jira integration. Link issues and docs.
- Whiteboards. Visual collaboration.
Integrates with: Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Trello, Google Drive.
Who should avoid each
Skip Notion if…
- Complex resource planning
- Teams wanting rigid structure
Best for: Company wikis and documentation; Startups wanting one flexible workspace; Content and product teams.
C Skip Confluence if…
- Teams wanting flexible databases
- Non-technical teams wanting simplicity
Best for: Jira users; Product and engineering teams; Organisations needing permissions and structure.
Switching between Notion and Confluence
Migration difficulty: Moderate
Notion can import Confluence spaces; formatting and permissions need checking.
- Export Confluence spaces.
- Use Notion's Confluence importer.
- Check formatting, links and attachments.
- Recreate permissions.
- Redirect links and archive old spaces.
Weigh it your way
Adjust the weights to your priorities to see which tool comes out ahead for you. Print or export the result for your team.
| Tool | Features | Ease | Value | Support | Security | Integrations | Your score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Notion | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.42 |
| 2. Confluence | 8.2 | 7.6 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.16 |
Drag the sliders to match your priorities. Scores are our editorial sub-scores; weights start at the values we publish on the methodology page. Nothing you change is stored or sent anywhere.
How our scores and weights work · Add a third tool side by side
Frequently asked questions
Can Notion replace Confluence?
For many teams yes, though Jira-heavy teams may miss native integration.
Is Confluence free?
Yes, for up to 10 users.
Does Notion or Confluence have a free plan?
Notion has a free plan; Confluence has a free plan. Indicative starting prices: Notion — Free for individuals; paid from around $10–12 / seat / month; Confluence — Free; paid from around $5–6 / user / month.
Which is cheaper for a team of 10, Notion or Confluence?
On indicative list prices, the cheapest paid plan that fits 10 users costs about $100 per month on Notion (Plus) and about $52 on Confluence (Standard), so Confluence is cheaper at that size. Taxes, add-ons and discounts are excluded — and the plan you actually need may be higher.
Which scores higher in our review, Notion or Confluence?
Notion scores 8.4/10 and Confluence 8.2/10 on our weighted rubric. Notion leads on 3 of six criteria. A higher score does not make it right for every buyer — see the “choose if” lists above.
