Simple Notes vs Notion: Which Should You Choose in 2025?

Notion is one of the most successful productivity apps ever built. It's also one of the most misused. If you've ever opened Notion to jot down a quick thought and spent 10 minutes configuring a database first — this post is for you.

Here's an honest comparison of Simple Notes vs Notion, so you can decide which tool actually fits how you work.

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What is Notion, really?

Notion is a workspace, not a notes app. It combines documents, databases, kanban boards, calendars, and wikis into one platform. That's genuinely powerful for teams building knowledge bases or managing complex projects.

But power comes with complexity. Notion has a significant learning curve. New users regularly spend hours watching tutorials before they feel comfortable. Every note is a "page" with properties, sub-pages, and database relations. It's a lot.

What is Simple Notes?

Simple Notes is a notes app. It does one thing: lets you write and organize notes, fast and beautifully.

You open it, you write. There's a Markdown editor, instant search, folders, tags, version history, and public sharing. That's the whole product.

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Head-to-head comparison

| Feature | Simple Notes | Notion | |---------|-------------|--------| | Time to first note | Under 10 seconds | 5+ minutes to configure | | Load time | < 1 second | 3–5 seconds | | Markdown | Full support | Partial (block-based) | | Free tier | Unlimited notes | Unlimited (with API limits) | | Version history | 10 versions (free) | 30-day history | | Public sharing | Toggle on/off | Full page publish | | Databases / Kanban | No | Yes | | Offline support | Partial | Yes (desktop app) | | Focus mode | Yes | No | | Price (paid) | €2.99/mo | $12/mo |

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When to choose Notion

Notion is the right tool if you:

• Manage a team and need shared wikis or project databases
• Track tasks, sprints, or client projects with status fields
• Want to replace Trello, Confluence, or Asana
• Love building elaborate systems and enjoy the setup process

Notion is genuinely great at these things. If you're using it as a project management platform, you're using it correctly.

When to choose Simple Notes

Simple Notes is the right tool if you:

• Want to open an app and immediately write, without configuring anything
• Write in Markdown or plain text
• Value speed above everything else
• Need notes on multiple devices without paying for it
• Want version history on every note automatically
• Prefer simplicity over features you'll never use

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The honest truth about Notion for personal use

Notion built its business on teams and companies. The personal tier exists, but the product is clearly optimized for workspace use — multiple people collaborating on databases and pages.

If you're using Notion alone to keep personal notes, you're likely using 5% of the features and paying for the other 95%. Simple Notes gives you everything a solo note-taker needs, at a fraction of the price.

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Can you use both?

Yes, and many people do. A common setup:

• Notion for project management, team wikis, content calendars
• Simple Notes for personal writing, quick capture, daily notes

They serve different purposes. Notion is your workspace; Simple Notes is your notebook.

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FAQ

Is Simple Notes a Notion alternative? For personal note-taking, yes. For team project management with databases, no — Notion is uniquely good at that.

Is Simple Notes cheaper than Notion? Significantly. Simple Notes Pro is €2.99/month vs Notion's $12/month. And Simple Notes' free tier is more generous for individual users.

Can I import my Notion notes into Simple Notes? You can export from Notion as Markdown and import the text into Simple Notes. A direct importer is on our roadmap.

Does Simple Notes have a desktop app? Not yet. Simple Notes is a web app that works on any browser. A desktop app (built on web tech) is planned.

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See also: Simple Notes vs Evernote · Features overview · Pricing