Alternatives
Best Free Alternatives to Notion
Notion is powerful, but it is cloud-only, can feel slow and its best features sit behind paid plans. These alternatives are free or have free plans, and several keep your notes on your own device.
Short answer
The best free alternatives to Notion are Obsidian, AppFlowy and Anytype. Of the 9 alternatives here, 2 are completely free and 7 have a free plan.
Updated
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9 free Notion alternatives
Every pick is free or has a usable free plan. Pricing and features change, so check each tool's own site before you switch.
- 1
Local-first markdown notes with a powerful link graph.
Why it stands out: Your notes stay yours as plain files
Compared with Notion: Focus: markdown, local-first and zettelkasten. Also in Note-Taking and Personal Knowledge Management, like Notion. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds Linux. Rated 4.8 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Writers, Students, Developers · Desktop App
- 2
The open-source alternative to Notion, with docs, databases and AI you control.
Why it stands out: Open source (AGPLv3) with a self-hosting option
Compared with Notion: Focus: notion alternative, open source and self-hosted. Shares databases and wiki with Notion. A desktop app, not a web app. Adds Linux. Rated 4.4 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Personal Use, Teams, Developers · Desktop App
- 3
The local-first, privacy-focused alternative to Notion.
Why it stands out: Truly local-first approach ensures data ownership and privacy
Compared with Notion: Focus: privacy, local-first and notes. Also in Note-Taking and Knowledge Management, like Notion. A desktop app, not a web app. Free (Notion: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.4 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Developers, Professionals, Personal Use · Desktop App
- 4
A privacy-first, open-source knowledge base that works on local files.
Why it stands out: Excellent for building a personal knowledge graph with bidirectional links
Compared with Notion: Focus: Open Source, PKM and Note-Taking. Also in Note-Taking and Knowledge Management, like Notion. A desktop app, not a web app. Free (Notion: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Students · Desktop App
- 5
Open-source workspace for docs, whiteboards and databases.
Why it stands out: Docs and whiteboard in one
Compared with Notion: Focus: open source, whiteboard and local-first. Shares docs with Notion. Adds Linux. Rated 4.3 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Teams, Creators, Developers · Web App
- 6
A new tool for your thoughts and creative work.
Why it stands out: Unique object-based approach makes organizing diverse information intuitive and powerful
Compared with Notion: Focus: PKM, notes and objects. Also in Note-Taking and Knowledge Management, like Notion. Rated 4.2 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Creators, Writers, Students · Web App
- 7
Structured notes where every tag behaves like a database.
Why it stands out: Extremely powerful data model
Compared with Notion: Focus: supertags, outliner and structured notes. Shares second brain with Notion. Rated 4.4 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Developers, Writers, Managers · Web App
- 8
Documents that look finished the moment you write them.
Why it stands out: Best-looking documents of any notes app
Compared with Notion: Focus: documents, beautiful and apple. Also in Note-Taking and Knowledge Management, like Notion. Rated 4.6 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Writers, Creators, Freelancers · Web App
- 9
Notes and spaced repetition flashcards in one place.
Why it stands out: Notes and revision in one tool
Compared with Notion: Focus: spaced repetition, flashcards and study. Also in Note-Taking and Personal Knowledge Management, like Notion. Rated 4.5 (Notion: 4.7).
Best for Students, Professionals, Personal Use · Web App
Frequently asked questions
- Is Notion free?
- Notion has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features or usage.
- What is the best free alternative to Notion?
- Obsidian is our first pick. Local-first markdown notes with a powerful link graph. Obsidian has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features or usage.
- Which Notion alternatives are completely free?
- Anytype and Logseq are completely free. The rest have a free plan with paid upgrades.
- Which alternatives work on the same platforms as Notion?
- Notion lists Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Cross-Platform. Obsidian, AppFlowy, Anytype, Logseq and AFFiNE and 4 others share at least one of those platforms.
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