Adding AI tools nearly doubles the cost. Limited offline functionality. Automations limited for Free plan.
Notion is a project management tool known for its collaborative document management and productivity-enhancing features. From assigning tasks to team members to plotting project timelines, Notion's features help small business owners stay organized when juggling multiple deliverables. Notion also has functions that can speed up and simplify work, like its artificial intelligence (AI) writing tool.
However, Notion is just one provider of project management tools. Is it the right one for your business needs? Below, we highlight the pros and cons, revealing when it can help improve your small business operations -- and when you might be better off with an alternative.
Notion overview
Notion's project management features are robust, allowing you to track project deliverables, create interactive to-do lists and assign due dates, among other tasks. There is also a Notion calendar tool that integrates with your Notion workspace, consolidating everything from meetings to deadlines. However, what really sets Notion apart is its document management features.
Notion pros and cons
Notion's content creation, organization and collaboration features in particular stood out to us, along with some other pros and cons.
Pros
There's a lot to love about Notion, especially if you deal heavily with documents in your business. Our top pros:
Cons
No software is perfect, and Notion is no exception. Here's where this tool falls flat for us:
Notion pricing and value
Notion's prices are midrange compared to the competition. While there are cheaper options, it also isn't the most expensive in the pack. For example, Trello has plans starting at $6 per user per month, while Asana's plans start at $13.49 per user per month.
While Notion's document collaboration tools are nice, we aren't sold on its project management features. Basic tasks, like creating charts, currently require integrations, for instance. That said, Notion is promising integrated charts for paid plans soon, so that may change. Also, if you want to use the AI features, you'll face a step price jump of an additional $10 per user per month.
Notion project management features
Notion's document management and collaboration features are what make it stand out from the crowd. However, the project management functionality is also comprehensive. You can set project deliverables and due dates, assign tasks, view timelines and create interactive checklists.
It's also possible to automate workflows to streamline processes and create dependencies. For example, if teammate A marks a task as complete, teammate B is automatically alerted to review that task. This simplifies communication and enhances efficiency in your business.
To keep everyone in your team on the same page, you can integrate Notion's calendar tool with other organization and collaboration tools, like Google Calendar and Zoom.
Notion AI, automation and integration features
You can add Notion AI to your workspace for $10 per member per month. The AI tool has varied functions. You can streamline team communication using the AI chatbot, which can scan your company's wikis, documents and projects to answer queries about everything from project status to team activities.
Small business owners who need to do a lot of writing will like the AI writing tool, which can do everything from simplifying technical jargon to translating languages. You can even use it to edit the tone of a text.
Another time-saving tool entrepreneurs may appreciate, especially those who deal with a lot of data, is the autofill function. This AI tool sifts through hundreds of documents in mere minutes and can capture key data points and write summaries.
Notion customer support
Notion promises "priority support" to all of its paid plans. Given that this applies to any paid plan (and free plans seem to get zero support), we don't see how this can be considered "priority." Enterprise plans do get the added benefit of a dedicated customer success manager.
The Notion online help center holds plenty of tutorials and documentation. If you scroll down to the bottom of the help center page, there is a link to a community forum. We clicked the link but were unable to access the forum, as it requires a Notion account. An email address is also listed.
Notion vs. top competitors
Notion is just one of the providers we surveyed in our quest to find the best project management software. We pulled a few key data points from our research, so you can see how this provider compares to the competition.
Notion vs Asana
Asana feels more like a straightforward project management tool. It lacks Notion's focus on document collaboration and content creation. Where Asana shines is its ability to break down silos. You can visually link company-wide strategic goals to smaller tasks, for example, and share data between teams.
Asana's paid plans are more expensive than Notion's. However, note that the Asana paid plans come with AI tools, which Notion charges extra for. Once you factor this in, Asana actually becomes the cheaper option if AI is a must-have for your team.
Notion vs Trello
One common complaint we've heard about Notion is the steep learning curve, especially for customizations. Trello offers a more user-friendly alternative. Users praise its intuitive and fast interface.
In comparison to Notion, Trello is a more straightforward project management tool, with less focus on content collaboration. You can use it for task management, to automate repetitive tasks and to visualize project progress. One noteworthy feature is the brainstorming tool, a great value-add for any creative business.
Notion vs Jira
One of our gripes about Notion is that you need an Enterprise plan for advanced security and compliance features. In contrast, Jira stands out for its careful attention to security. Even the Free plan includes encryption in transit and at rest, business continuity and disaster recovery. Paid plans ramp up the security even further. If your business handles sensitive data, it's worth a look.
Beyond this, Jira stands out for its strong reporting features. Visualize project timelines, add Gantt charts and allocate resources -- it's all there.
