Notion vs Outline
We give Notion a 3.2 GPA and Outline a 3.4, out of 4.0. Notion grades higher on the free plan. Outline grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
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
Outline
Fast team knowledge base and wiki, cloud-hosted or self-hosted
How we grade them
| 3.2GPANotionVery good | 3.4GPAOutlineVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BTen dollars a person on Plus is fair when it replaces your docs, wiki and tracker. The sting is the AI agent and meeting notes sitting on Business, which is double. | A$10 a month for the whole team, up to 10 members, with SSO, AI answers, the API and the audit log all in. Most rivals charge about that per person. The next tier, 11 to 100 members, is $79, and that's still a flat fee. |
| Free plan and trial | AIf it's only you, it's unlimited pages for nothing, plus 10 guests. We don't know a more generous free plan in this category. | BThe self-hosted Community Edition is $0 with unlimited docs, real-time editing, SSO and the API, but no AI answers, guest users or support. On the cloud there's no free plan: you get 30 days, then the workspace turns read-only until you add a payment method. |
| Features | ADocs, databases, forms, websites, automations, a calendar app, AI agents. They added shareable agent skills in September 2026. There's a lot here, maybe too much. | AA Markdown editor with slash commands and embeds, live co-editing with comments and threads, workspace search with AI answers, groups and permissions, public sharing on your own domain, and unlimited documents and version history on every tier. |
| Ease of use | CThis is the weak spot. People who get through setup love it, but "it took me ages to figure out" is the complaint you see most, and a blank workspace doesn't help. | BNo app rating on record. The cloud version means no server to run, and the editor takes Markdown and slash commands. Self-hosting is there if you want it, and that's a bigger job. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, a web clipper, an API, and it talks to Slack, GitHub, Jira and friends. No Linux app on the download page though. | BWeb plus desktop apps for macOS and Windows, with more than 20 integrations including Slack, Figma, GitHub and Zapier, and an API with webhooks on every tier. No mobile apps are listed. |
| Best for | planning and all-in-one workspaces | a Markdown-friendly team wiki at a flat price |
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: Notion and Outline. How we grade
Where they differ
- Notion starts at $10 per member / month, billed yearly. Outline starts at $10 per month for a team of 1 to 10 members (cloud-hosted).
- Only Notion lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Notion lists a browser extension.
- Outline is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Notion also covers notes, databases and templates.
- Outline also covers AI search and Markdown.
At a glance
| Notion | Outline | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per member / month, billed yearly | $10 per month for a team of 1 to 10 members (cloud-hosted) |
| Free plan | 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. | The self-hosted Community Edition costs $0, with limited features and no support. The cloud-hosted version has no free plan, only a 30-day trial. |
| Free trial | Some teams and organizations are eligible to try the Business plan for 30 days. | First 30 days free on the cloud version; the workspace then turns read-only until a payment method is added |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Notion Labs, Inc. | General Outline, Inc. |
| Price read from | notion.com | getoutline.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Outline
- Teams that want a fast, Markdown-friendly internal wiki
- Organizations that need to host their knowledge base themselves
- Small teams: cloud hosting is a flat $10 a month for up to 10 members
Worth knowing
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.
Outline
- The cloud version has no free plan: after the 30-day trial the workspace is read-only until a payment method is added.
- Cloud pricing goes by team-size tier, so an 11th member moves a team from $10 to $79 a month, and teams over 200 need a quote.
- The free Community Edition lacks AI answers, guest users, SAML 2.0 and the audit log; paid self-hosted licenses need at least 10 users.
- The download page offers desktop apps for macOS and Windows only; no mobile apps are listed.
Key features
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.
Outline
- Markdown-friendly editor
- The editor supports Markdown, slash commands and interactive embeds. Documents and their version history are unlimited on every tier, including the free Community Edition.
- Real-time collaboration
- Several people can edit a document at the same time, and comments, threads and @mentions keep the discussion attached to the text.
- Search and AI answers
- Search covers the whole workspace, and questions about your documents get direct AI answers. AI answers are in every cloud tier but need a paid license when self-hosting.
- Permissions and public sharing
- Read and write permissions, user groups and guest users control access. Documents can be shared publicly by link, with your own brand colors, logo and domain.
- Self-hosting
- Outline can run on your own infrastructure, either as the free Community Edition or with a paid Business or Enterprise license that adds features such as SAML 2.0.
- Integrations and API
- More than 20 integrations cover tools such as Slack, Figma, GitHub, GitLab and Zapier, and an API with webhooks is included on every tier.
Plans
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.
Outline
Community Edition$0
Self-hosted on your own server: unlimited docs, real-time editing, SSO, integrations and the API, with no AI answers, guest users or support.
Cloud, 1–10 members$10
per month for the whole team; annual pricing available
Hosted by Outline with every cloud feature: AI question answering, SSO, templates, groups and permissions, API and webhooks, and a security audit log.
Cloud, 11–100 members$79
per month for the whole team; annual pricing available
The same features as the smaller tier. A team moves to this tier automatically once it has more than 10 members.
Cloud, 101–200 members$249
per month for the whole team; annual pricing available
The same features for 101 to 200 members. Larger cloud teams are asked to contact Outline for pricing.
On-Premises Business$4
per user / month, billed annually, 10-user minimum
Self-hosted license that adds AI question answering, guest users, SAML 2.0, extra security controls, a Confluence importer and the audit log.
On-Premises Enterprise$5
per user / month, billed annually, 100-user minimum
Everything in On-Premises Business, plus removal of Outline branding and a support contract.
Ways to pay less
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.
Outline
- Nonprofit
30% off for non-profits
Outline's pricing FAQ offers non-profits a 30% discount on request, and says it will sponsor accounts for non-profits working directly on climate change.
- Education
30% off for educational institutions
The same pricing FAQ extends the 30% discount to educational institutions that contact Outline.
