Notion vs Confluence
Notion and Confluence are both popular team knowledge management tools. Notion is a modern, flexible workspace that feels like a cross between a document editor and a database. Confluence is Atlassian's wiki platform, deeply integrated with Jira and popular in engineering organisations.
Build a custom alternative freeSide-by-side
All-in-one workspace for notes and docs vs Team wiki and knowledge management.
| Feature | Notion | Confluence |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | Free, paid from $10/user/mo | Free up to 10 users, paid from $5.75/user/mo |
| Primary use case | Docs, wikis, databases, and team notes | Engineering wikis, project documentation, and runbooks |
| Pricing | Free; Plus at $10/user/mo | Free up to 10 users; Standard at $5.75/user/mo |
| Ease of use | Intuitive and modern; block-based editor | Dated UI; steep learning curve for non-technical users |
| Key strength | Flexibility, databases, and beautiful design | Deep Jira integration and enterprise compliance features |
| Key weakness | Can get disorganised; limited enterprise features | Clunky editor; expensive without Atlassian bundling |
| Team features | Teamspaces, guest access, shared pages | Spaces, page permissions, Jira integration |
The third option most teams miss
Picking between Notion and Confluence isn't the only choice.
Confluence is entrenched in engineering orgs but feels dated; Notion is modern but can get messy - Appaca builds a custom knowledge base that is structured exactly how your team works.
- No code, no deployment, no devops
- Built-in database, dashboards, team access
- Refine with chat as your needs change
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing surprises
Common questions
Notion is generally preferred for its modern UI and flexibility. Confluence is better for teams already using Jira, as the integration is powerful. The 'better' tool depends on your stack.
Notion can replace Confluence for many teams, especially those not using Jira. Teams that rely heavily on Jira integration often stick with Confluence.
Both work well for engineering wikis. Confluence has better Jira integration for linking docs to tickets. Notion is preferred by many modern teams for its cleaner editor.
Appaca is a third option for teams that don't want to choose between two existing tools. Instead of forcing your workflow into someone else's product, Appaca builds a custom app from a description - with built-in database, hosting, and team access. Try it free at appaca.ai.