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5 Best Notion Alternatives for Modular Productivity in 2021

by Parth Shah

Notion continues to make waves in 2021. The modular productivity software is getting popular among power users. However, it’s not free of issues and glitches either. For example, there is no offline mode available on Notion. Some of the basic functions such as reminders are complex as well. Not to mention the web-wrapped mobile apps that are barely useful on a small screen. If you are looking to get out of Notion, then try these Notion alternatives below to stay productive and invested in modular, scalable apps.

Notion Alternatives

We won’t be talking about standard note-taking apps such as Bear or OneNote as they are not true alternatives to Notion. Instead, we have list-out modular solutions that offer the same level of customization as Notion. Let’s get started. 

1. Coda

Similar to Notion, Coda is an all-in-one doc that brings words, data, and teams together. Coda terms itself as a powerful tool where each section works as a dedicated app on mobile platforms. Like Google, Coda takes a web-first approach with no dedicated desktop apps.

coda as notion alternative

The interface by default display docs created by the users. The left side menu lets you access the starred notes, shared notes, templates, and more. 

Similar to Notion, Coda also offers several templates such as project and task management, finance planner, etc. to get started. My favorite feature about Coda is automation. You can add conditions and use scripts to automate and trigger daily push notifications. 

Pros

  • Templates for multiple use case
  • Mobile apps are polished and the implementation is better than Notion
  • Coda API support

Cons

  • No dedicated desktop app
  • Learning curve

Price 

The pricing starts at $10 per month. 

Visit Coda

2. Milanote

Milanote is like a giant blank canvas. Everything is customizable here. The major functions, such as creating a new project, adding notes, images, links, arrows, and others are at the left. Simply drag and drop them to the board and start customizing. The interface is straightforward and easy to understand.

milanote as notion alternative

One of the advantages of Milanote is project flow. With the help of arrows, you can chalk out a project exactly the way how you would plan one on a physical board.

The company has included a way to view the project in a vertical list too which is useful while accessing them on mobile. Milanote’s templates section looks bleak and isn’t as rich as Notion’s, though. But it gets the job done for most beginners.

Pros

  • Flexible and lots of customization options
  • Sharing is seamless
  • Easy to understand 

Cons 

  • Power users will find Milanote limited 
  • Limited option in the free plan

Price 

$10 per month per user. 

Visit Milanote

3. Airtable

Airtable is an interesting sandwich of Excel and Notion. It’s not a note-taking app (though you can use it as a note-taking app as well). The San-Francisco-based startup is an easy-to-use online platform for creating and sharing relational databases. The user interface is simple, colorful, friendly, and allows anyone to spin up a database in minutes.

airtable as notion alternative

Airtable is best-served when used with built-in templates. You can also go to the template gallery, browse them via category, and choose one that’s suitable to your needs.

With the right use of tools such as Softr, you can even turn your Airtable page into a full-blown website. 

Pros 

  • A long list of built-in and community-based templates
  • Airtable can replace several apps for you 
  • Excellent mobile apps

Cons 

  • Can be complex for beginners
  • Limited feature-list in the free plan

Price

The pricing starts at $10 per month. 

Visit Airtable

4. ClickUp

ClickUp pitches itself as the number one Notion alternative out there. ClickUp takes a conventional approach for navigation. The organization tries to mimic how a traditional company operates. You can create a workspace and add different sections such as Sales, Marketing, Accounting, Manufacturing, and other departments to it.

clickup as notion alternative

The software offers a total of 124 templates to choose from. ClickUp plays perfectly fine with other third-party apps as well. You can import data from software such as Basecamp, monday.com, Wrike, Todoist, and of course, Trello and Asana. 

ClickUp offers a killer feature called Dashboard. Using a centralized dashboard, you can add chats, checklists, embeds, and integrate as widgets to create your control center. 

Pros

  • Beautiful and intuitive user interface
  • Excellent project management features
  • High-quality templates
  • Native mobile apps 

Cons

  • Not suitable as a note-taking app 

Price

$5 per member per month. 

Visit ClickUp

5. Evernote

TBH, I wasn’t planning to mention Evernote as a Notion alternative. But in recent times, Evernote has completely changed the game with a new look and feel. Alongside, Evernote has also introduced Evernote Home that works as a centralized place to view and access your most-used notes. 

evernote as notion alternative

The usual Evernote strength remain the same. You can enjoy a feature-rich text editor with multi-highlight colors, the ability to change font type, color, and more. 

Evernote search is a killer feature. You can search text from scanned documents as well. Neat! Those who have left Evernote for Notion in past should definitely give the green elephant one more chance to shine. 

Pros

  • Native cross-platform availability 
  • Capable Evernote extension 
  • New mobile apps are really good

Cons

  • The free plan is limited to two-devices only 
  • Built-in templates leave a lot to desire 
  • No project management capabilities

Price 

Evernote Premium costs $70 per year. 

Visit Evernote

Wrap Up: Notion Alternatives

There you go. Go through the apps listed above and move your Notion data to a new platform. Prioritize your requirements and choose software that’s more suitable to your needs.

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