Dropbox Paper vs Notion

Dropbox Paper

• Teams that already keep their files in Dropbox
• Meeting notes, briefs and plans with assigned to-dos
• People who want shared docs without paying for another tool

Notion

• Teams that want docs, a wiki and project tracking in one workspace
• Individuals who want a free personal workspace with unlimited pages
• Building custom trackers and dashboards from databases

Dropbox Paper

• Paper has no plan of its own: it is free with a Dropbox account, and everyone who opens a doc has to sign in to Dropbox.
• Docs cannot be edited offline; the Dropbox desktop app stores them as web-based files that open only on dropbox.com.
• No more than 50 people can edit a doc at once, and inserted files are limited to 50 MB each.
• On the new release of Paper, the Slack integration's commands and previews do not work and docs can only be exported one at a time.

Notion

• Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes and Enterprise Search are only a limited trial on Free and Plus; full access starts at Business.
• The Free plan limits blocks once a second member joins, caps file uploads at 5 MB and keeps 7 days of page history.
• There is no Linux desktop app; Notion points Linux users to the browser version.
• Custom Agents run on Notion credits, an add-on for Business and Enterprise priced at $10 per 1,000 monthly credits.

Dropbox Paper

Real-time co-editing

Up to 50 people can edit a doc at the same time; anyone beyond that sees it as view-only. Collaborators can be mentioned in the text to bring them into a doc.

Comments on text and images

Comments attach to highlighted text or to a selected area of an image, can mention colleagues to notify them, and can be linked to directly.

To-dos with assignees and due dates

Checklist items are assigned by mentioning someone and can carry a due date. A Things to do sidebar gathers the to-dos assigned to a user and those they assigned to others.

Tables, timelines and embedded files

Docs can hold tables, timelines and code blocks. Files under 50 MB can be dragged in and are previewed inline when Paper supports the file type.

Templates

Dropbox supplies pre-designed templates for formats such as project plans and creative briefs, and any doc can be turned into a reusable template.

Stored as Dropbox files

Docs sit in Dropbox folders as .paper files, follow the account's sharing policies and use Dropbox version history. Each doc can be exported as .docx, Markdown or PDF.

Notion

Docs and pages

Pages hold text, media and embeds. Several people can edit the same page, leave comments and @-mention each other.

Databases

Databases organize hundreds or thousands of items such as projects or tasks. Charts are limited to 1 on Free, and database automations start on Plus.

Wikis

A knowledge base keeps team documentation in one place. Private teamspaces for restricting access need the Business plan.

Notion Agent, Meeting Notes and Search

The AI agent, meeting transcription with summaries and search across connected apps are included from Business. Free and Plus get a limited trial.

Forms and Sites

Collect responses into a database and publish pages to the web. Custom forms start on Plus, conditional logic on Business, and custom domains are billed per domain.

Offline pages

The desktop and mobile apps can view, edit and create pages offline. Free users pick pages to download; paid plans also download recent and favorite pages automatically.

Dropbox Paper

• Basic$0

  Free Dropbox account with 2 GB of storage. Paper is included at no charge, with no limit on the number of docs.

• Plus$9.99

  per month, billed yearly ($11.99 billed monthly)

  For 1 person: the same Paper editor with 2 TB of Dropbox storage and 30 days of version history and deleted-file recovery.

• Standard$15

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Team plan with storage from 3 TB, team folders, admin controls and 180 days of version history, which also covers Paper docs.

• Advanced$24

  per user / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)

  For 3 people or more: storage from 15 TB, single sign-on, tiered admin management and 1 year of version history.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom pricing with integrations for third-party security tools and live support from dedicated staff.

Notion

• Free$0

  For individuals: unlimited pages and blocks for one person, 5 MB file uploads, 7-day page history, 10 guests and basic forms.

• Plus$10

  per member / month, billed yearly

  Unlimited file uploads, 30-day page history, unlimited guests, custom forms, unlimited charts and database automations.

• Business$20

  per member / month, billed yearly

  Everything in Plus, plus Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, Enterprise Search (beta), SAML SSO, private teamspaces and 90-day page history.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Business, plus SCIM user provisioning, audit logs, advanced security controls and unlimited page history.

Dropbox Paper

• Annual discount

  About 17% to 20% lower with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Dropbox Plus is $9.99 a month instead of $11.99, Standard is $15 per user instead of $18, and Advanced is $24 per user instead of $30. Paper itself stays free.

Notion

• Annual discount

  Save up to 20% with yearly billing

  Notion's pricing page says paying yearly instead of monthly saves up to 20% on the Plus and Business plans.

• Education

  Free Education plan for students and educators

  Students and educators at accredited colleges and universities get a free one-member workspace with Plus features by signing up with a school email. K-12 is not eligible.

• Nonprofit

  50% off the Business plan for nonprofits

  Verified nonprofit organizations can apply for 50% off the Business plan on up to three workspaces. Verification takes 3 to 7 business days.

• Startups

  Up to 6 months of Business free for startups

  Startups under 100 employees that are not yet paying customers can apply for 1, 3 or 6 months of the Business plan free, depending on partner affiliation and company details.