Khoj vs Notion (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Notion: it is first in our ranking of note-taking apps, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Khoj grades higher on value for money. Notion grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Notion
Workspace for docs, wikis, databases and projects with built-in AI
Which one is for you
Pick Khoj if
- Fits if you use Obsidian or Emacs and want AI over notes you already have
- Works for people comfortable running Docker who want documents to stay on their own machine
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, because Khoj Cloud was shut down on April 15, 2026
- Not for you if you won't run Docker or Python, since there's no one-click install
- Watch out: commercial model APIs such as OpenAI bill you separately
- Tight if you want updates: the company says it is now focusing on Open Paper and Pipali
Pick Notion if
- Fits if your team's docs, wiki and light project tracking sit in three tools and you want them in one
- Works for students and teachers at a college, since Plus is free with a school email
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to open an app and start typing, as you build the whole structure yourself
- Pricey if you want the AI agent or meeting notes, which need Business at $20 a person a month
- Tight if a second person joins the free plan: blocks get capped, uploads stop at 5 MB and history is 7 days
- Not for you if you're on Linux and want a desktop app, as Notion points you to the browser
- Watch out: custom agents cost $10 per 1,000 credits on top, and free users pick offline pages one by one
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAKhojFair | 3.2GPANotionVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe software is free and open source, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Commercial model APIs bill separately, so the real cost depends on the model you pick. | DPlus is $10 a person a month on yearly billing, and the dearest tenth of this category starts at $9.99, so Notion sits in it. Then the AI agent and meeting notes need Business at $20, which is over three times the $6 middle. It only adds up if it replaces tools you already pay for. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe self-hosted software costs nothing and has no caps. There is no hosted trial left, since the cloud service was sunset. | BOne person gets unlimited pages and blocks for nothing, plus 10 guests. Not an A though: file uploads stop at 5 MB, which any phone photo clears, page history is 7 days, you get 1 chart, and blocks are capped once a second member joins. |
| Features | CChat over your files, search by meaning, Markdown, org-mode, PDF and Word support, agents and automations. The company says it is now focusing on its other products. | ADocs, wikis and databases you can show as a table, board, calendar or timeline, forms that fill a database, pages published as a website, automations, a separate calendar app and an AI agent. No other notes app here does that many jobs, though automations need Plus and the AI needs Business. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Setup means Docker or pip plus an AI model, and on Windows the documented Docker route runs through WSL2. | A4.78 from about 90,000 App Store ratings, which is the top band. But you start on an empty workspace and decide the structure yourself, and "it took me ages to figure out" is the complaint we saw most. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, a desktop app on Mac, Windows and Linux, and Obsidian, Emacs and WhatsApp. No iPhone or Android app is listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, a web clipper and a public API, and it talks to Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Figma, Jira and Linear. The one hole is Linux, which gets the browser and no desktop app. |
| Best for | AI chat over your own notes, self-hosted | planning and all-in-one workspaces |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Khoj and Notion. How we grade
Price against what you get
Khoj has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Notion starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 4.0.
Notion scores higher, and starts $10 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other note-taking apps on the chart, none scores higher than Khoj for less, and none scores higher than Notion for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Khoj is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Khoj also covers chat assistant, AI search and Markdown.
- Notion also covers notes, databases, wiki and templates.
At a glance
| Khoj | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $10 per member / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | The self-hosted software is free and open source; you pay for any AI model API you connect. | Unlimited pages and blocks for one person (a limited block allowance once a second member joins), 5 MB file uploads, 7 days of page history, 10 guests and 1 chart. |
| Free trial | None listed | Some teams and organizations are eligible to try the Business plan for 30 days. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Khoj Inc. | Notion Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | app.khoj.dev | notion.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Khoj
- Khoj Cloud was sunset on April 15, 2026; the docs still mention it, but only self-hosting remains.
- The company says it is now focusing on its other products, Open Paper and Pipali.
- Self-hosting needs Docker or pip plus an AI model, and commercial model APIs bill separately.
- On Windows the documented Docker setup runs through WSL2.
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.
Key features
Khoj
- Chat with your notes
- Ask questions and Khoj answers from files you shared, and from the web when relevant.
- Natural-language search
- Find notes and documents by meaning rather than exact words, with search-as-you-type.
- Many file types
- Indexes Markdown, org-mode, PDF, plaintext and Word files and Notion pages.
- Your choice of model
- Works with OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini keys, or a local model through Ollama or an OpenAI-compatible server.
- Several interfaces
- Use it from the web, a desktop companion app, Obsidian, Emacs or WhatsApp.
- Agents and automations
- The homepage describes building agents and scheduling automations.
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.
Plans
Khoj
Self-hosted$0
Run the open-source server yourself with Docker or pip; connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or a local model.
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.
Ways to pay less
Khoj
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Khoj or Notion?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Khoj is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $10 a month for each person for Notion. Khoj is free, and Notion starts at $10 per member / month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Khoj or Notion?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Khoj and Notion have a free plan.
Which platforms do Khoj and Notion run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Khoj lists a Linux app and only Notion lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app and macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.