Workflowy vs Notion

by Gralio Feb 03, 2025

Workflowy is better for individuals and small teams who prioritize simplicity and speed for task management and note-taking. Notion is better for teams who need a powerful, all-in-one workspace with databases, project management, and extensive collaboration features. Notion's complexity can be overwhelming if you only need basic task management.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 4877 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 3 hours, 35 minutes of reading.

Workflowy

Website LinkedIn Twitter

Notion

Website LinkedIn Twitter

About

Workflowy is a web-based tool designed to help individuals and teams manage tasks. It uses a simple, hierarchical list format to organize information, making it easy to break down large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. Workflowy allows you to create to-do lists, prioritize tasks, and track your progress, all within a clutter-free interface. Its flexibility makes it suitable for a variety of use cases, from managing personal to-dos to collaborating on complex work projects.

Notion is an all-in-one workspace platform designed to help teams organize information, manage projects, and collaborate effectively. It centralizes notes, documents, tasks, and databases, making it easy for teams to access and share information. Notion allows users to customize their workspace with templates and integrations and offers AI features for writing assistance and information retrieval. It aims to be a flexible solution that adapts to various work styles and replaces the need for multiple single-purpose tools.

Summary

Main difference

Workflowy is a simpler tool, better for individual task management and note-taking, while Notion is a more powerful, all-in-one workspace for teams needing databases, project management, and collaboration. Notion has more features but can be overwhelming for simple task management.

Relative strengths of Workflowy (compared to Notion)

Simpler and more intuitive interface for quick task management.
Infinitely nested lists for flexible organization.
Fast and reliable, even with large lists.

Relative weaknesses of Workflowy (compared to Notion)

Limited features compared to Notion, lacking databases and advanced project management tools.
Fewer integrations with other apps.
Mobile app experience can be buggy.

Who is using Workflowy and Notion?

No data

Olesia Krilyshyn

Sales Acceleration Specialist at Reply.io

Andrew Charlton

SEO Consultant, Founder of SEO tool companies

Kate Donnellan

Founding Marketer at Plain

Celeste Yamile

Founder&Coach at BrandWise Accelerator

Jonathan Parsons

Marketing Director - Clinique UK & Ireland

Show all 6 stacks

Who should use Workflowy VS. Notion

Workflowy is a user-friendly task management tool ideal for individuals and teams looking to organize projects and boost productivity. Its simple interface and nested list format make it easy to break down complex tasks. Users praise Workflowy's intuitive design and powerful search, while some note its limited formatting options. If you need a straightforward, collaborative task management solution, Workflowy may be a good fit.

Notion is a versatile workspace for teams and individuals seeking streamlined organization and project management. Users praise its collaborative features and generous free plan but note the learning curve. With real-time editing and cross-platform access, Notion centralizes your work, though some find the mobile app and offline functionality lacking.

Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a simple yet effective task management solution.
A versatile tool applicable across various industries, particularly beneficial for those focused on project management and team collaboration.

Best for small to enterprise-level businesses needing an all-in-one workspace.
Ideal for various sectors, including tech, marketing, education, and more.

Workflowy and Notion features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Define tasks

Supported

Workflowy allows breaking down complex tasks into smaller steps using lists and tags.

Supported

Notion allows defining tasks with specific objectives and breaking them down into smaller steps.
Prioritize tasks

Supported

Workflowy supports prioritizing tasks using several methods, including tagging and structured frameworks.

Supported

Notion prioritizes tasks using formulas and matrices based on factors like urgency and impact.
Schedule tasks

Partially supported

Workflowy supports scheduling tasks using time blocking and dates, but not specific time slots.

Supported

Notion supports scheduling tasks using its calendar integration and task management features.
Note organization

Supported

Workflowy enables organizing notes in hierarchical lists with extensive nesting and tagging.

Supported

Notion supports the ability to organize notes into notebooks, sections, and pages.
Sections

Supported

Workflowy supports organizing notes into sections using nested lists and hierarchical structure.

Supported

Notion supports the ability to divide notebooks into sections for further organization.
AI Content Improver

Not supported

Workflowy does not offer AI content improvement features natively.

Supported

Notion supports the feature of rewriting and improving existing content using AI through its various Notion AI functions.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

-0.02

Neutral sentiment
Customer Service

No data

+0.33

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.7

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.5

Rather positive sentiment

+0.26

Neutral sentiment
Ease of Implementation

No data

-0.39

Rather negative sentiment
Scalability

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

-0.13

Neutral sentiment

Workflowy and Notion Pricing

Workflowy offers a subscription-based pricing model with a free Basic plan and a paid Pro plan. The Pro plan offers unlimited bullets, file uploads, and premium support, while the Basic plan has limitations on these features. An annual subscription to the Pro plan comes with a discount.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Notion offers a Free plan, three paid plans (Plus, Business, Enterprise) with per seat monthly billing and a Notion AI add-on. The Enterprise plan requires contacting sales for a custom quote.

Plans

User sentiment

Neutral

-0.02

See full Pricing page

Workflowy and Notion review insights

4781 reviews analysed from and

Users love

Simple and intuitive interface: praised for its minimalist design and ease of use.
Infinitely nested lists: allows for flexible organization and breakdown of complex information.
Powerful search functionality: makes it easy to find specific information within large lists.
Collaborative features: facilitates easy sharing and co-editing of lists.

The variety of templates and projects that are ready for use.
Seamless collaboration with the team thanks to the real-time working feature.
The generous free plan which meets the needs of most casual users.
It’s so versatile and easy to use! All-in-one software for productivity, notes, and more.

Users dislike

Limited formatting options: lack of tables, colors, and font sizes.
Mobile app experience can be buggy and lacks features.
No way to easily track remaining bullets in the free version.
Limited integrations with other apps, especially for importing highlights and notes.

The platform is not intuitive - it requires several hours of learning to fully understand what this platform is capable of.
Limited offline access capabilities.
The mobile app is underwhelming with limited functionality.
Limited font selection

Workflowy and Notion Ratings

G2

4.5/5

(29)
TrustPilot

3.7/5

(3)

G2

4.7/5

(2596)
Capterra

4.7/5

(2184)
TrustPilot

2.9/5

(93)
Glassdoor

4.7/5

(172)

Company health

Employee growth

11% increase in the last year

92% increase in the last year

Web traffic

No data

5% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

No data

How do Workflowy's nested lists compare to Notion's databases for project organization?

Workflowy's nested lists offer a simple and intuitive way to organize projects hierarchically, breaking them down into smaller, manageable tasks. While highly flexible for outlining and prioritizing, they lack the robust database functionalities of Notion. Notion's databases provide more structured project organization with features like custom properties, filtering, sorting, and different views (table, kanban, calendar, etc.), enabling more complex project tracking and reporting than Workflowy's simpler list structure.

Which product offers a better mobile experience for quick task updates?

Workflowy offers a better mobile experience for quick task updates. While Workflowy users note that the mobile app has some bugs and lacks some features, its core functionality of nested lists makes it ideal for quick edits and additions on the go. Notion's mobile app, while offering more features overall, is considered underwhelming and less intuitive for quick task management. Therefore, for the specific use case of rapid task updates on mobile, Workflowy is the preferable choice.

What are the advantages of Workflowy?

Workflowy's advantages include its simple and intuitive interface, praised for ease of use and minimalist design. Its infinitely nested lists allow for flexible organization and breakdown of complex information. A powerful search function helps locate specific information within large lists. Finally, collaborative features facilitate easy sharing and co-editing of lists.

What are the disadvantages of Workflowy?

Workflowy's minimalist approach, while appreciated by some, leads to limitations in formatting and integrations. Users often cite the lack of rich text editing, tables, and color-coding as drawbacks. The limited integration options with other apps can also hinder workflows, especially for those who rely on importing data or connecting with other productivity tools. Additionally, some users find the mobile app experience lacking in features and stability.

Is Workflowy cheaper than Notion?

Workflowy's Pro plan costs $83.88 per year, while Notion offers a free plan and paid plans starting at $8 per month/seat (billed annually). Therefore, Notion offers a free plan which is cheaper, but its paid plans are more expensive than Workflowy if billed monthly. However, if a user opts for annual billing with Notion, it can be cheaper than Workflowy, depending on the number of seats required. So, it's not definitively cheaper or more expensive.

Alternatives to Workflowy and Notion

ClickUp

ClickUp is a comprehensive work management platform designed to consolidate various work processes into one centralized location. It offers a wide array of features including task management, project planning, document collaboration, communication tools, goal setting, and automation options. ClickUp aims to enhance team collaboration, improve visibility across projects, and streamline workflows for increased productivity regardless of team size or industry.

Karbon

Karbon is a practice management software designed specifically for accounting firms. It aims to improve team collaboration and efficiency by centralizing client communication, task management, and workflow automation in a single platform. Features include client management, project tracking, time and billing, and document sharing. Karbon emphasizes automation to streamline tasks and provide a clear overview of team workload and project progress.

Confluence

Confluence is a collaborative workspace designed to streamline teamwork and knowledge sharing. It allows you to create, organize, and collaborate on documents, projects, and ideas in one central hub. This eliminates scattered information and keeps everyone on the same page. Confluence integrates with other tools and is highly customizable to adapt to various team needs, from product launches to marketing strategies.

Toodledo

Toodledo is a flexible task management tool that goes beyond a simple to-do list. It allows you to organize tasks, take notes, build custom lists, create structured outlines, and track habits. Toodledo offers features like task sharing, reminders, and cross-device syncing, making it suitable for both personal and collaborative work management. It's highly customizable and can be integrated with other productivity apps.

Coda

Coda is a collaborative workspace tool that combines aspects of documents, spreadsheets, and applications. It allows teams to create customized documents with integrated features such as tables, buttons, and automations. Coda aims to centralize information, streamline workflows, and replace multiple single-purpose tools. It's suitable for various teams and tasks like project management, OKR tracking, and creating knowledge bases. Coda is free for individual use with tiered paid plans for teams.

CogniSaaS

CogniSaaS is a software platform designed for onboarding new customers and managing projects, particularly for enterprise SaaS companies. It aims to streamline customer projects, improve team collaboration, and provide data-driven insights to optimize project delivery and revenue recognition. CogniSaaS offers features like task management, customer collaboration tools, timesheet tracking, reporting dashboards, and resource management functionalities. Their focus on customer success and industry best practices sets them apart.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

How are we doing?

Is this information helpful to you? Is there anything we are missing?

Did this help you select your product?

Other issues? Vote & Let us know