Google Docs with its web-based approach and being free to use has attracted a lot of users. They have been dominating the education and small business sectors. Notion is again considered a “newcomer” in the field of productivity software. In many ways, Notion can be called Google Docs on steroids. Both tools are similar in basics but different in final implementation. Google Docs relies on true and reliable methods to get the job done while Notion lets you organize things in a more flexible and modular way. In this article, we will find out which software is right for you between Notion vs Google Docs.
CROSS-PLATFORM AVAILABILITY
Google Docs is a web-based software. It has native apps for iOS and Android and is available on all major browsers. However, the experience is best served on Google Chrome.
Notion is quite new on the market. And surprisingly it’s available everywhere. You can access the app on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and the Web. However, their mobile app is a web wrapper, so they are still incomplete to use.
USER INTERFACE AND ORGANIZATION
Google Docs starts with a home page that contains all the documents and lets you create a new document or access a library of templates. The user interface is similar to other word processing software like Microsoft Word. Here we are provided with basic editing options and you can learn more functions from the menu bar. All documents once created will be stored in Google Drive and it is up to you to organize them into folder clouds.
Notion provides a rather novel workspace for users. You can add the page you want, then create other subpages that link to the original page created. The personalization at Notion is evident as you can start the page by adding emojis and cover photos related to the theme of your choice. All data will be stored on Notion’s cloud.
TEMPLATES
Google Docs has a pretty extensive library of templates to choose from. Because it’s been around for a long time, in addition to the available templates, Google Docs also has a collection of third-party templates on the web. It is quite simple and easy to use for everyone. You just need to select and download a template you need. Then copy them to Google Docs and edit.
Unlike Google Docs, Notion organizes templates by categories. You can use it for personal use to build wikis, manage tasks, or choose templates designed for project management. In addition, we find templates like vocabulary builder, subscription tracker, financial planner, CV builder, meeting notes, and more. Due to Notion’s modular approach which templates are more powerful and personalized than Google Docs.
COMPOSE A NOTE
Google Docs follows the traditional way of composing notes by word processing. Rather it is a proper word processing software. You can make editing options like text style, size, color, paragraph style and more. You can add tables, integrate Google Drawing,…
Notion builds databases based on blocks. You can make edits on each block with the shortcut ‘/’. You can type ‘/’ and the context menu will show editing options like title, color code, background color,… Notion also allows you to add Google Docs files, Figma files, Invision files, Videos YouTube, Tweet links,…
Overall, Google Docs is more geared towards writing long texts while Notion is useful for building a knowledge base and organizing blocks however you want.
SHARING AND COLLABORATION
Google Docs allows view-only, comment-only, and editable sharing for others. Team members can also leave comments on a particular section with their views. It is so popular in the education sector that many groups of students are using the group chat function in the classroom.
Notion allows you to share your entire workspace with others. It is useful in long projects where every team member is needed in tracking changes in the process. You can also tag a team member on any page and let them know about assigned tasks.
PRICE
Google Docs is completely free to use. It’s one of the reasons why the software is preferred by millions in the education sector. Also, Google Drive, which offers 15GB of storage for free, won’t count the Docs data in the quota.
Notion is free for up to 1000 blocks. After that, you are required to pay $4/month to unlock an unlimited number of blocks. They have separate plans for teams too.
WHICH ONE YOU SHOULD USE
Notion vs Google Docs is aimed at different user groups. Google Docs has the upper hand in sharing, and it’s better suited for long writing projects. Notion is suitable for managing projects and storing notes like a personal file cabinet. Also, the software’s template support is superior to that of Google Docs.