Notion vs Zoho Notebook

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

Zoho Notebook

• Low-cost note-taking: Pro is $19.99 a year
• People who like notes laid out as visual cards
• Teams already using Zoho apps such as Zoho CRM, Cliq or Mail
• Recording meetings or lectures and getting transcripts on Pro Plus

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.

Zoho Notebook

• The free Essential plan is limited to 500 MB of cloud storage, 10 MB per file upload and 20 versions per note.
• Notebook AI (transcription, mind maps and generative AI) comes with Pro Plus, not with Essential or Pro.
• Whiteboards, the Teams workspace, the admin console and audit logs are part of the Business plan only.
• Prices vary by region and store: the US App Store lists Pro at $2.49 a month or $24.99 a year, above Zoho's web price.

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.

Zoho Notebook

Note cards

Each note is a card of a set type: text, checklist, audio, photo, sketch, file or Smart Card. Cards sit in notebooks with tags, reminders and nested collections.

Notebook AI and meeting notes

With Pro Plus, recorded or uploaded audio and video is transcribed into structured notes, long notes become mind maps, and text can be drafted, summarized or translated.

Web Clipper

Extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge clip articles, screenshots and bookmarks, attach sticky notes to web pages and summarize pages with AI.

Scanner and search

The camera scans documents, books and business cards for export as PDF. Pro adds OCR and object detection, so search reaches text inside images and documents.

Noteboards and Whiteboards

Noteboards lay notes out in Kanban-style lists, up to 4 lists on the free plan. Whiteboards, a shared canvas for sketching and planning, come with the Business plan.

Sharing and locking

Notecards, notebooks and collections can be shared with other people or sent as public links, and Pro adds co-owner access. Notes and notebooks can be locked with a password, Touch ID or Face ID.

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.

Zoho Notebook

• Essential$0

  Sync across devices, 500 MB of storage, 20 note versions, 10 MB file uploads, up to 4 Noteboard lists, document scanning, tags and reminders.

• Pro$1.67

  per month, billed annually ($19.99); $1.99 billed monthly

  100 GB of storage, 100 note versions, 1 GB file uploads, OCR search, PDF annotation, emails into notes and co-owner sharing.

• Pro Plus$3.34

  per month, billed annually ($39.99); $3.99 billed monthly

  500 GB of storage, longer audio and video recordings, AI transcription up to 30 hours a month, AI mind maps and generative AI.

• For Business$4.16

  per user / month, billed annually ($49.90); $4.99 monthly

  1 TB of storage for up to 10 users (+100 GB per extra user), a Teams workspace, whiteboards, an admin console and audit log access.

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.

Zoho Notebook

• Annual discount

  Save up to 16% with yearly billing

  Zoho's pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 16%. Pro is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro Plus is $39.99 a year against $3.99 a month.

• Other savings

  Three-year plans for Pro and Pro Plus

  Pro can be bought for 3 years at $49.99 and Pro Plus at $99.99, which is less than three yearly payments of $19.99 or $39.99.

• Education

  Free plan for students

  Students who sign up with an educational institution email address get a free student plan, and Zoho says they also get Notebook AI at no charge.