Best Notion Alternatives
Full workspace and knowledge-base replacements for Notion (docs, databases, offline/local options)—not just AI-feature substitutes.
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How this page was made: this is a research-based comparison built from official pricing pages, product documentation and vendor announcements. We haven’t tested these tools ourselves or run hands-on benchmarks for this page, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
Full workspace and knowledge-base replacements for Notion (docs, databases, offline/local options)—not just AI-feature substitutes. Obsidian for private, local notes (from $4/user/mo). Anytype for a local-first Notion replacement (from $4/mo). AppFlowy for open source and self-hosting (from $12/member/mo). ClickUp for project management (from $7/user/mo). Craft for polished personal docs (from $6.40/mo). Evernote for classic note-taking (free tier).
Last updated Pricing checked Oct 2026
Key facts at a glance
| Alternative | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | private, local notes | Free; Sync $4/user/mo, Publish $8/site/mo (annual) |
| Anytype | a local-first Notion replacement | Free; Plus $4/mo, Pro $8/mo, Ultra $16/mo |
| AppFlowy | open source and self-hosting | Free; Pro $12/member/mo (annual) |
| ClickUp | project management | Free; Unlimited $7/user/mo, Business $12 (yearly) |
| Craft | polished personal docs | Free; Plus $6.40/mo (yearly) |
| Evernote | classic note-taking | Free (50 notes); paid plans on Evernote’s site |
Looking specifically for AI writing features? See our Notion AI alternatives.
Why look beyond Notion?
Notion’s free plan and $10 per member a month Plus plan cover a lot. Its Business plan is $20 per member a month, and Custom Agents cost extra ($10 per 1,000 credits), according to its pricing page. Common reasons to look elsewhere:
- You want your notes stored locally. Obsidian or Anytype.
- You want open source or self-hosting. AppFlowy or Anytype.
- You need real project management. ClickUp.
- You want a polished personal writing app. Craft.
How do they compare?
| Tool | Paid | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Sync $4/user/mo (annual); Publish $8/site/mo (annual) | Free without limits | Private, local Markdown notes |
| Anytype | Plus $4/mo; Pro $8/mo; Ultra $16/mo | 100 MB remote storage, 10 shared channels | Local-first Notion-style workspace |
| AppFlowy | Pro $12/member/mo annual ($16 monthly) | Personal $0 (100 MB storage) | Open-source workspace you can self-host |
| ClickUp | Unlimited $7/user/mo yearly; Business $12 | Free Forever (60MB storage) | Teams that need project management |
| Craft | Plus $6.40/mo yearly ($8 monthly); Family $12/mo | Starter $0 (1,500 blocks) | Polished personal docs |
| Evernote | See Evernote’s plans page | 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device | Classic note-taking and web clipping |
The alternatives
1. Obsidian
Best for: private, local notesObsidian is free without limits, with no sign-up required, according to its pricing page. Your notes stay as files on your device, and Obsidian says its apps collect no telemetry. Optional Sync costs $4 per user a month billed annually ($5 monthly) and uses AES-256 end-to-end encryption. Publish costs $8 per site a month billed annually ($10 monthly). A $50 per user per year Commercial license is optional for supporting Obsidian at work.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; Sync $4/user/mo, Publish $8/site/mo (annual) Source
Pros
- Free without limits
- End-to-end encrypted Sync
- No telemetry
Cons
- No Notion-style databases out of the box
- Sync and Publish cost extra
2. Anytype
Best for: a local-first Notion replacementAnytype’s free plan includes 100 MB of remote storage, 10 shared channels and unlimited private channels. Paid plans add storage: Plus is $4 a month (1 GB), Pro $8 (10 GB) and Ultra $16 (100 GB), with 20% off yearly. Anytype for Business adds SSO, an admin panel and self-hosting, and Anytype says self-hosting your own network requires no membership.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; Plus $4/mo, Pro $8/mo, Ultra $16/mo Source
Pros
- Generous free plan
- Self-hosting option
- 50% education discount
Cons
- Remote storage is limited on the free plan
3. AppFlowy
Best for: open source and self-hostingAppFlowy offers a free Personal plan and a Pro plan at $12 per member a month billed annually, or $16 monthly, per its pricing page. A self-hosted option is also available. The free plan caps storage at 100 MB and file uploads at 7 MB and keeps 7 days of version history. Pro is unlimited, with 90 days of history.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; Pro $12/member/mo (annual) Source
Pros
- Self-hosted option
- Unlimited guest editors on Pro
Cons
- Free plan limited to 100 MB
- AI features are a limited trial on the free plan
4. ClickUp
Best for: project managementClickUp’s Free Forever plan includes 60MB of storage, unlimited tasks and unlimited free plan members. Unlimited costs $7 per user a month billed yearly ($10 monthly), and Business is $12 billed yearly ($19 monthly), with Gantt charts, automations and more.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; Unlimited $7/user/mo, Business $12 (yearly) Source
Pros
- Built for tasks and projects
- Unlimited tasks on the free plan
Cons
- Only 60MB of storage on the free plan
- Heavier than a notes app
5. Craft
Best for: polished personal docsCraft’s free Starter plan includes 1,500 blocks and 1 GB of storage. Plus removes all limits for $6.40 a month billed yearly or $8 monthly. A Family plan covers up to six accounts for $12 a month, and Team is $50 a month.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; Plus $6.40/mo (yearly) Source
Pros
- Family plan for up to 6 accounts
- Built-in publishing
Cons
- Free plan capped at 1,500 blocks
6. Evernote
Best for: classic note-takingEvernote’s free plan is limited to 50 notes, one notebook and sync on one device. Starter raises that to 1,000 notes and three devices, and Advanced and Unlimited remove the limits. Evernote’s compare-plans page didn’t list prices when we checked, so see its site for current pricing.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free (50 notes); paid plans on Evernote’s site Source
Pros
- Mature note-taking and web clipping
- Unlimited plans available
Cons
- Very limited free plan
- Prices not listed on the plans page
Which Notion alternative should you use?
For personal notes you fully control, start with Obsidian. It’s free, and your files stay local. If you want Notion’s pages-and-databases feel without the cloud lock-in, try Anytype or AppFlowy. Both offer self-hosting. Teams managing projects should look at ClickUp. If you mainly want AI writing help, our Notion AI alternatives page covers that.
Who should skip this guide
Skip this page if you are happy with Notion’s docs and only want a better AI assistant—see Notion AI alternatives. Skip if you need a pure CRM or lightweight to-do app rather than a knowledge base.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Notion?
Is there an open-source Notion alternative I can self-host?
How much does Notion cost?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
- Notion: Pricing (checked October 2026) (notion.com)
- Obsidian: Pricing (checked October 2026) (obsidian.md)
- Anytype: Pricing (checked October 2026) (anytype.io)
- AppFlowy: Pricing (checked October 2026) (appflowy.com)
- ClickUp: Pricing (checked October 2026) (clickup.com)
- Craft: Pricing (checked October 2026) (craft.do)
- Evernote: Compare plans (checked October 2026) (evernote.com)
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Notion is a cloud workspace for teams, with databases, forms, real-time collaboration and built-in AI. Obsidian is a free, private, offline-first writing app that stores your notes as Markdown files on your own device.