AlternativesUpdated

The best Notion alternatives in 2026

Why people leave Notion, which tool fits each reason, and how to move what you keep there. Fabricate is ours, so we also say when it is not the right pick.

The short answer: for notes on your own device, Obsidian or Anytype; for docs with tables, Superhuman Docs, formerly Coda; for a team wiki, Confluence; for tasks, ClickUp; for an open-source workspace on your own server, AppFlowy; and when a Notion database has become something clients or customers sign in to, Fabricate. Every price below was read on the tool's own pricing page on October 26, 2026.

By the Fabricate teamWe make Fabricate9 min readPrices checked
Try Fabricate freePublish on Pro
Client portal
A client portal made with Fabricate: client workspaces with milestones, a project roadmap and a deliverables checklist
A client portal made with Fabricate, shown with sample data.

Key takeaways

  • Most people leave Notion for one of the jobs it does, notes, a wiki, docs with tables, tasks or a tracker, and a different tool is best at each.
  • Obsidian and Anytype keep your work on your own device; AppFlowy is open source and runs on your own servers.
  • Superhuman Docs, formerly Coda, suits docs that calculate; Confluence suits a team wiki and is free for up to 10 users; ClickUp suits tasks.
  • Fabricate is not a notes app. It fits the Notion databases that have become apps, with sign-in and roles of their own. Building and previewing are free; publishing is on Pro and Max.
  • Every price here is the cheapest paid plan billed monthly, read on the tool's own page on October 26, 2026.

Why people look for a Notion alternative

Most people leave Notion for one of the jobs it does. Find yours, then jump to the pick that fits it.

  • Notes that live on your device

    Obsidian keeps notes as files in open formats on your own device, works offline, and its app is free without limits; Sync, if you want it, is $5 a month.

    Fits: Obsidian

  • Docs that calculate

    Superhuman Docs, formerly Coda, puts tables, formulas and automations inside a document, billed per Doc Maker.

    Fits: Superhuman Docs

  • A wiki for a bigger team

    Confluence is free for up to 10 users, with pages, spaces and databases; Standard is $7.15 a user a month for a team of 10 to 25, billed monthly.

    Fits: Confluence

  • Tasks before documents

    ClickUp starts from tasks, with Kanban and calendar views and docs beside them, and its free plan has no cap on members.

    Fits: ClickUp

  • Open source, on your own server

    AppFlowy is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, runs on your own infrastructure, and offers help moving from Notion.

    Fits: AppFlowy

  • A tracker that has become an app

    A database that clients, customers or staff sign in to, with rules about who sees and changes what, has become an app. Fabricate builds it as one.

    Fits: Fabricate

Compare at a glance

What each tool is best for, where your work lives, what its free plan allows, and the cheapest paid plan.

  • FabricateWe make this
    Best for
    Trackers that should be apps
    Where your work lives
    The app's own database, on Cloudflare
    Free plan
    Builds and previews; publishing is paid
    Paid plans from
    $25 a month
  • NotionThe tool you have now
    Best for
    Docs, wikis and databases
    Where your work lives
    Your Notion workspace
    Free plan
    Blocks limited for 2 or more members
    Paid plans from
    $12 a member a month
  • Obsidian
    Best for
    Private notes
    Where your work lives
    Files on your own device
    Free plan
    The app is free without limits
    Paid plans from
    $5 a month for Sync
  • Superhuman Docs
    Best for
    Docs that calculate
    Where your work lives
    Superhuman Docs
    Free plan
    Pages limited in shared docs
    Paid plans from
    $15 per Doc Maker a month
  • Anytype
    Best for
    Private, offline work
    Where your work lives
    Your device, encrypted
    Free plan
    100 MB of remote storage
    Paid plans from
    $5 a month
  • AppFlowy
    Best for
    Running it yourself
    Where your work lives
    AppFlowy Cloud or your own servers
    Free plan
    One owner and 100 MB in the cloud
    Paid plans from
    $16 a member a month
  • ClickUp
    Best for
    Tasks first
    Where your work lives
    ClickUp
    Free plan
    Any number of members, 60 MB
    Paid plans from
    $10 a user a month
  • Confluence
    Best for
    A team wiki
    Where your work lives
    Confluence
    Free plan
    Up to 10 users
    Paid plans from
    $7.15 a user a month, for 10 to 25 users

The cheapest paid plan billed monthly, read on each tool's own pricing page on October 26, 2026; most cost less billed yearly. Fabricate's figures come from our live plans.

Number 1

Fabricate

We make this

Best for: A tracker that has become an app

Fabricate is not a notes app. It fits the Notion databases that have become apps: client portals, trackers and request forms that people sign in to. Describe who signs in and what each person may see or change, and it builds a web app with its own database, sign-in and roles, written as code. Building and previewing are free; publishing is on Pro and Max.

What moves where

  • Databases
    On Notion
    Notion databases and their views
    On Fabricate
    The app's own SQLite tables, imported from CSV
  • Pages for clients
    On Notion
    Shared pages and guests
    On Fabricate
    Pages behind sign-in, where each client sees their own records
  • Forms
    On Notion
    Notion forms
    On Fabricate
    Forms whose answers land in the app's Responses
  • Who sees what
    On Notion
    Page sharing and permissions
    On Fabricate
    Roles enforced by the app's server code
  • Notes and docs
    On Notion
    Your workspace
    On Fabricate
    Stay in Notion, or move to a notes app

Checks before you publish

Fabricate's security check on an app: one problem to fix and two quality warnings, each with a Fix in chat button
Each finding comes with a Fix in chat button. A real Fabricate screen, shown with sample data.

What it does well

  • Sign-in and roles for clients and staff
  • Its own database, written as code
  • Checked in a real browser before it can be published
Paid plans from
$25 a month
350 credits a month on Pro
Free plan
60 credits
A month, to build and preview
A live app
Pro and Max
Publishing is on paid plans

See the plans

Moving a Notion database to Fabricate

Your notes stay where they are. Fabricate rebuilds the database that should be an app, and you bring its records over as CSV.

  1. 1

    Export the database

    Open the database as a full page and export it as CSV.

  2. 2

    Describe the app

    Say who signs in, what each person may see or change and what the app saves. Attach the CSV, or a few rows of it, so Fabricate sees the fields.

  3. 3

    Ask for an import screen

    Ask for a screen, behind your own sign-in, where you upload a CSV file and the app adds its rows. Try it with one of your files.

  4. 4

    Test it in the preview

    Sign up, save and edit data, and check who can see what, before anyone else does.

  5. 5

    Put it online

    On Pro, one press of Publish gives it its own address to share, after the same browser check.

  6. 6

    Bring the records in

    The published app starts with a fresh database of its own, without your test records, so import your CSV files there.

Chat

Fabricate's chat on a phone: the owner asks for opening hours and a note about cardamom buns, and Fabricate says what it changed and that it used 5 credits

Your app

The same bakery app in Fabricate's Your app view on a phone, now showing Open today 7am - 3pm above its menu
Asking for a change in chat, then trying the app. Real Fabricate screens on a phone, shown with sample data.

The other Notion alternatives

What each one does well, and the kind of project it suits best.

  1. Number 2

    Obsidian

    Best for: Private notes

    Obsidian is a note-taking app that keeps your notes as files on your own device, in open formats, even offline, with thousands of plugins and themes. The app is free without limits; Sync is $5 a month and Publish $10 a site, billed monthly.

    • Notes on your own device
    • Free, with no sign-up
    • Thousands of plugins

    Where Obsidian beats Fabricate

    Fabricate builds apps, not notes. For notes of your own, Obsidian keeps them as files on your device in open formats, works offline and costs nothing.

    From $5 a month for Sync

    Sources: obsidian.md/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked ; obsidian.md (opens in a new tab), checked

  2. Number 3

    Superhuman Docs

    Best for: Docs that calculate

    Coda is now Superhuman Docs: documents with tables, views, forms, formulas and automations in one doc. Pro is $15 per Doc Maker a month billed monthly, and Business $40.

    • Tables and formulas in a doc
    • Automations
    • Billed per Doc Maker

    Where Superhuman Docs beats Fabricate

    If the work is a document that also calculates, Superhuman Docs keeps the tables, formulas and automations inside the doc your team already reads, with no app to publish.

    From $15 per Doc Maker a month

    Sources: Superhuman Docs plans (opens in a new tab), checked ; coda.io (opens in a new tab), checked

  3. Number 4

    Anytype

    Best for: Private, offline work

    Anytype keeps your work in a vault on your own device, encrypted, works offline and syncs peer to peer on a local network. The free plan has 100 MB of remote storage; Plus is $5 a month billed monthly.

    • Encrypted
    • Works offline
    • Peer-to-peer sync

    Where Anytype beats Fabricate

    If privacy comes first, Anytype keeps your vault on your device, encrypted, and works offline; a Fabricate app runs online, on Cloudflare.

    From $5 a month

    Sources: anytype.io/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked ; anytype.io (opens in a new tab), checked

  4. Number 5

    AppFlowy

    Best for: Running it yourself

    AppFlowy is an open-source workspace, under the AGPL-3.0 license, that you can run on your own infrastructure, with help moving from Notion and Confluence. Cloud Pro is $16 a member a month billed monthly; self-hosted, Free has one seat and Team is $10 a seat a month billed yearly.

    • Open source (AGPL-3.0)
    • Runs on your own servers
    • Help moving from Notion

    Where AppFlowy beats Fabricate

    If you want the workspace itself on your own servers, AppFlowy publishes its source under AGPL-3.0 and offers help moving from Notion and Confluence.

    From $16 a member a month

    Sources: appflowy.com/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked ; appflowy.com (opens in a new tab), checked ; AppFlowy on GitHub (opens in a new tab), checked

  5. Number 6

    ClickUp

    Best for: Tasks first

    ClickUp starts from tasks, with Kanban, calendars, forms and collaborative docs beside them. Free Forever has no cap on tasks or members and 60 MB of storage; Unlimited is $10 a user a month billed monthly, and AI is priced separately.

    • Tasks and docs together
    • Kanban and calendar views
    • A free plan for any team size

    Where ClickUp beats Fabricate

    For a team's tasks and projects, ClickUp is ready the day you sign up, with views and docs made for them; a Fabricate app is built around one process you describe.

    From $10 a user a month

    Source: clickup.com/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked

  6. Number 7

    Confluence

    Best for: A team wiki

    Confluence is Atlassian's wiki: pages, spaces, databases and whiteboards, free for up to 10 users. For a team of 10 to 25, Standard is $7.15 a user a month and Premium $14.10, billed monthly, and the price a user falls as the team grows.

    • Free for up to 10 users
    • Pages and spaces
    • Rovo AI on Standard

    Where Confluence beats Fabricate

    For a company wiki, Confluence is built for pages and spaces that many people read, and it is free for up to 10 users.

    From $7.15 a user a month, for 10 to 25 users

    Source: Confluence pricing (opens in a new tab), checked

Where Notion fits, and where Fabricate differs

Notion is a workspace of pages and databases: notes, docs, wikis and project trackers in one place, with forms, sites, AI and agents on top. Plus is $12 a member a month billed monthly and Business $24, which adds Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes and SAML SSO.

Because it does so much, people leave it one job at a time. A notes app, a wiki and a task manager each do one of its jobs with less setup, and each pick on this page is the one we would name for that job.

One job is different: a database that other people use. A client list where each client should see their own part, a request tracker with an approval step, an order list customers check: in Notion those are shared pages and permissions. Built as an app, each person signs in and the app's server decides what they see.

Fabricate builds that kind of app from a description, with its own database, sign-in and roles, written as code. It does not replace your notes or your docs, and this page ranks it first because it is ours, not because it does what Notion does.

Where Fabricate and Notion differ

  • Sharing with clients

    Fabricate

    Each app has its own sign-in, with roles and owner-only or invite-code access, and its server code decides what each person may see or change.

    Notion

    Notion shares pages with members and guests: its free plan allows 10 guests and Plus any number, and Business adds granular database permissions.

    In short: For a few guests on pages you keep, Notion's sharing is enough. For clients who each sign in to their own records, an app does that job better.

  • Moving your data

    Fabricate

    Records come over as CSV files, through an import screen you ask for. Views, forms and rules are rebuilt from your description, not copied.

    Notion

    Notion exports any page or database as PDF, HTML, or Markdown and CSV, and a full-page database as CSV.

    In short: Databases move as CSV. Pages move as Markdown or PDF, to a notes app or a wiki.

Notion: what it does well, and what to watch for

What it does well

  • Docs, wikis and databases in one workspace
  • Basic forms and sites on the free plan
  • No limit on pages and blocks for one person on the free plan
  • Exports pages as Markdown or PDF and databases as CSV

Watch out for

  • On the free plan, a workspace with two or more members has a limit on blocks
  • Notion AI is a trial on Free and Plus; Notion Agent and AI Meeting Notes need Business
  • File uploads stop at 5 MB on the free plan
  • Every member is a paid seat on Plus and Business

Try it with one prompt

Fabricate builds this as one app: projects, milestones and deliverables in the app's own database, a client view with only their own projects, a staff view with every client, and a screen that imports the projects you export from Notion.

Change any word first

Build free. No card needed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free Notion alternative?
It depends on what you use Notion for. For your own notes, Obsidian's app is free without limits. For a team wiki, Confluence is free for up to 10 users. For tasks, ClickUp's Free Forever plan has no cap on members. AppFlowy's Free plan on your own server has one seat, and Anytype's free plan has 100 MB of remote storage.
Is there an open-source Notion alternative?
AppFlowy is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license and runs on your own infrastructure, with help moving from Notion. If what matters is owning the files, Obsidian keeps your notes as files in open formats on your own device.
How do I export my data from Notion?
Notion's help center says any page or database exports as PDF, HTML, or Markdown and CSV, and a full-page database exports as CSV. Export the databases you want to move as CSV, and the pages as Markdown for a notes app or a wiki.
Can Fabricate replace Notion?
Not as a notes app or a wiki: Fabricate builds web apps. It replaces the Notion databases that have become apps, such as a client portal, a CRM or a request tracker that people sign in to, with screens, sign-in and roles of their own. Keep your notes and docs in Notion or a notes app.
What is Superhuman Docs?
It is Coda's new name: coda.io says Coda is now Superhuman Docs, and its pricing page has moved to superhuman.com. Pro is $15 per Doc Maker a month billed monthly, or $12 billed yearly, and Business $40, or $33 billed yearly.
How much does Notion cost compared with Fabricate?
Notion Plus is $12 a member a month billed monthly, or $10 billed yearly, and Business $24, so a team of five on Plus pays $60 a month. Fabricate Pro is $25 a month for the plan, with 3 team seats, and the people who sign in to your app are not billed.
Can I build a client portal instead of sharing Notion pages?
Yes. Describe the portal to Fabricate: who signs in, what each client sees and what they can approve. It builds a web app where each client signs in and sees only their own records. Publishing it is on Pro and Max.

Sources

The pages this guide quotes, each with the day it was read.

  1. notion.com/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked
  2. Notion help: export your content (opens in a new tab), checked
  3. obsidian.md/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked
  4. obsidian.md (opens in a new tab), checked
  5. Superhuman Docs plans (opens in a new tab), checked
  6. coda.io (opens in a new tab), checked
  7. anytype.io/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked
  8. anytype.io (opens in a new tab), checked
  9. appflowy.com/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked
  10. appflowy.com (opens in a new tab), checked
  11. AppFlowy on GitHub (opens in a new tab), checked
  12. clickup.com/pricing (opens in a new tab), checked
  13. Confluence pricing (opens in a new tab), checked
  14. fabricate.build/pricing, from our live plans

About this guide

Written by the Fabricate team. Fabricate is our product, so it is first on this page and marked "We make this". Where a reason to switch fits another tool better, the reason says which.

Each tool's card lists the pages we read about it and the day we read them. We compared the tools from their own pricing pages and documentation, not by signing up for them. Spotted something out of date? Write to info@fabricate.build.

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