Our verdict · 8.4/10 Excellent
The best all-round knowledge base for small teams, and capable for lightweight projects. Dedicated project tools offer more structure for complex delivery work.
Key takeaways
- Best for: Company wikis and documentation.
- Strongest area: Features & fit (8.8/10). Weakest: Support & reliability (7.6/10).
- Price: Free for individuals; paid from around $10–12 / seat / month — free plan available.
- Watch out for: Requires structure to avoid sprawl.
What is Notion?
Notion combines pages, databases and templates to build wikis, documentation, roadmaps and task trackers. It is especially popular as a company knowledge base, with AI features available for writing and search.
Notion is made by Notion Labs and is reviewed here as a collaboration tool (it also appears in our 1 other category). It is priced on a freemium basis, and our editorial score is 8.4 out of 10, calculated from six weighted criteria.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Choose Notion if
- Company wikis and documentation
- Startups wanting one flexible workspace
- Content and product teams
Not for you if
- Complex resource planning
- Teams wanting rigid structure
Key features
Tables, boards, calendars and timelines.
Verified pages and team spaces.
Writing, summarising and Q&A.
Thousands of community templates.
- Slack
- Google Drive
- GitHub
- Jira
- Figma
Pros & cons
What we like
- Extremely flexible pages and databases
- Excellent for documentation
- Large template gallery
- Clean writing experience
Watch out for
- Requires structure to avoid sprawl
- Offline support is limited
- Project features lighter than specialist tools
Pricing & true cost
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | — |
| Plus | ≈ $10 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Business | ≈ $20 / user / mo | Billed annually; includes AI |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | — |
Pricing watch-out: AI capabilities vary by plan.
True cost at 5, 10 and 25 seats
Cheapest paid plan that fits each team size, from indicative list prices checked October 30, 2026. Excludes tax, add-ons, onboarding fees and promotional discounts.
Pricing watch-outs
- Quote-only tier. Enterprise has no public price. Ask for a written quote that includes onboarding and support fees.
- Steep tier jump. Moving from Plus to Business raises the per-user price from $10 to $20 (2.0×). Check which features force the upgrade.
Contract questions to ask before you sign
- Does the plan auto-renew, and how many days’ notice do you need to cancel?
- Is the advertised price for annual billing? What is the month-to-month price?
- Is the first-year price a promotion? What will renewal cost, and is it capped?
- Is there a minimum number of seats, or a charge for inactive users?
- Are onboarding, implementation or premium-support fees extra?
- How do we export all our data if we leave, and in what format?
General questions for any vendor — not findings about this product. Build a full checklist with our requirements builder.
Indicative USD pricing, last checked October 30, 2026. Vendors change prices and promotions often — always confirm on their website. Model your own numbers with our SaaS TCO calculator.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features & fit | 25% | 8.8 | 2.20 | |
| Ease of use | 20% | 8.4 | 1.70 | |
| Value for money | 20% | 8.6 | 1.70 | |
| Support & reliability | 10% | 7.6 | 0.80 | |
| Security & privacy | 10% | 8.0 | 0.80 | |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 15% | 8.4 | 1.30 | |
| Overall | 100% | Weighted for business software products | 8.4 | |
Security & compliance facts
| Item | Status | Question to ask Notion Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-factor authenticationStops most account takeovers from reused or phished passwords. | Not verified by us | Can admins enforce MFA for every user, on every plan? |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)Lets you remove a leaver’s access everywhere from one place. | Not verified by us | Is SSO included on the plan we are buying, or only on enterprise tiers? |
| SOC 2 Type II reportIndependent audit of the vendor’s security controls — often required by larger customers. | Not verified by us | Can we see your current SOC 2 Type II report (under NDA if needed)? |
| ISO/IEC 27001 certificationInternational standard for running an information-security programme. | Not verified by us | Which legal entity and services does your ISO 27001 certificate cover? |
| GDPR data processing agreementNeeded if you handle personal data of people in the EU/UK. | Not verified by us | Do you offer a signed DPA and list your sub-processors? |
| HIPAA business associate agreementRequired before US healthcare businesses store protected health information. | Not verified by us | Will you sign a BAA, and on which plans? |
We have not yet verified these items for Notion against a primary source, so we don’t claim them either way. Check Notion Labs’s trust or security page and ask for documents in writing.
Before you buy any collaboration tool
Check Notion against the same list we use for every collaboration tool — and confirm each point on the plan you intend to buy, not the top tier.
- Fast, reliable search
- Permissions per space or channel
- Integrations with your core apps
- History and retention on free/paid tiers
- SSO and admin controls if needed
See every ranked option in Collaboration & Docs.
Notion alternatives
Pick an alternative by what matters to you
- Cheaper
Microsoft Teams≈ $40/mo vs $100/mo at 10 users (cheapest paid plans, indicative) - Easier to useGWGoogle WorkspaceEase-of-use score 9.0 vs 8.4
- Better integrations
SlackIntegrations score 9.8 vs 8.4 - Stronger on securityMicrosoft TeamsSecurity & privacy score 9.0 vs 8.0
- Higher overall scoreGWGoogle WorkspaceOverall 8.7 vs 8.4
Computed from our published scores and indicative pricing for tools in the same category as Notion. Scores are editorial; see the methodology.
Editor’s picks
An everything-app for work that packs tasks, docs, goals and chat into one place.
Polished work management for teams that need clarity on who does what, by when.
Head-to-head comparisons
Featured in: Best Project Management Software for Small Teams, Best Team Collaboration Tools for Small Business, Best Free Project Management Software
Review history
- Scored under methodology v2.0 (six weighted criteria, computed overall score).
Notion FAQ
Can Notion replace a project management tool?
For small teams with straightforward projects, yes. Larger delivery teams usually prefer dedicated tools.
Does Notion have a free plan?
Yes. Notion offers a free plan. Paid plans start at Free for individuals; paid from around $10–12 / seat / month (indicative — check the vendor for current pricing).
Who is Notion best for?
Notion is best for: company wikis and documentation; startups wanting one flexible workspace; content and product teams.
How much does Notion cost for a team of 10?
On indicative list prices, the cheapest paid plan that fits 10 users (Plus) works out at roughly $100 per month, or about $1,200 per year, before tax, add-ons and discounts.
How is the Notion score calculated?
The 8.4/10 overall score is a weighted average of six sub-scores — features & fit, ease of use, value, support & reliability, security & privacy, and integrations — using the published weights for software products. Affiliate relationships have no input. See our methodology page for the full rubric.
What are the best alternatives to Notion?
Popular alternatives include ClickUp, Asana. See our comparisons for side-by-side verdicts.