Best Notion Alternatives for 2025

Notion is one of the most powerful tools in the productivity space right now, primarily due to its database capabilities.

Many people regard the database as one of the most effective ways to customize and build a personal workspace. This experience is increasingly beneficial, not just for individuals but also for teams seeking to design their desired workspace.

With Notion’s improvement in automation and integration, it is becoming a valuable platform for managing a customized workspace. Let’s explore some alternatives to Notion. However, for some users, Notion may feel overwhelming, and they might prefer a more approachable alternative. Let’s examine those options.

Why are people moving from Notion?

Many of the Notion alternatives that we have picked in this article help you to address some of the issues surrounding Notion’s offline modes, lack of security compared to other tools, and the learning curve that Notion typically brings because it’s quite a large experience.

A lot of people struggle with getting started and unpacking it for daily use. So, we’re going to address not just some busy professional alternatives to Notion, but also some team alternatives that can help you to better manage your daily routine using a planner-type experience like Notion.

1. xTiles

xTiles is an interesting alternative to Notion as it looks very similar but also gives you the structure you need to organize your workspace more effectively. The application provides a powerful way to build a workspace around daily planning, allowing you to add tasks, images, notes, and more, as well as use lightweight database capabilities when compared to Notion.

Overall, xTiles is probably more suitable for those looking for something more structured that combines elements of apps like Trello and Miro. The application is user-friendly and is favored by many people who want customization with a bit of an outline, rather than the total flexibility and customization that Notion offers.

2. Anytype

Anytype is a note-taking application with some interesting capabilities. Within Anytype, much like Notion, you can create databases that can help you organize notes or documents into different views like graphs, calendars, or galleries; many people see this as a Notion-like feature that can relate to, although it isn't better than Notion here.

Anytype also differs from Notion in that it focuses on privacy and security; at the same time, Notion has things in place. Anytype has this as one of its core values, with a local-first setup meaning that you can store everything locally on a device and use secure networks once you want it synced online. Many people find this more attractive than Notion's primary offering. However, it also shares a pain point with Notion: the lack of an official offline mode.

3. Capacities

As a Notion alternative, Capacities has the design down to a close replica. Capacities make an attractive option for those looking for that clean design that Notion offers. They are also prevalent in apps like Anytype, which want to give the user a minimal yet functional feel by creating blocks.

Much like Anytype, Capacities offers objects to create notes with. If you're looking to replace Notion with Capacities purely on databases, you might be disappointed. Much like Anytype, they provide the user with the basics, but nothing like you see in Notion. Capacities is much more of a comprehensive note-taking tool that has PKM feature than it is a Notion full replacement; if you don't use database bases much but rely on notes and daily notes and want to have the same feel, then Notion will be more suited to you.

4. Craft

Craft is a document-style software that probably combats Notion the most on many fronts. With a similar design, great document features, and speedy, native apps, Craft makes for a compelling alternative for teams looking for something that doesn't focus too much on database management and has otherworldly features.

Craft best matches to you or your team if documents are the heart of your system. Think of Craft as Google Documents on steroids. It can replace Notion, but if you are an individual looking for something more traditional in structure and layout than Notion's open-plan canvas, which many people find difficult to manage and navigate, Craft is the solution for you.

5. AFFiNE Pro

As a Notion alternative, AFFiNE Pro is early days. It offers some powerful features, like collaborative whiteboards, and changing between a document and a whiteboard is very smooth. Many people like that AFFiNE is also open-sourced and available offline, which makes it much smoother for visual thinkers who like to be offline. They are also invested in making more powerful AI abilities.

6. Obsidian

Obsidian works as a good Notion alternative for note-taking and advanced notes. Unlike Notion, Obsidian has a graph view and a way to connect notes more systematically. Focusing much more on notes and, in particular, doing an excellent job with PKM note-taking.

Obsidian is better for note-taking only but does come with some unique features. Everything is local-first and marked down with Obsidian, meaning notes are protected. The focus is on helping you take notes that you own. If you do want to sync, you can do that with iCloud sync securely or via Sync, the service they offer for an additional $4 per user per month.