Notion (productivity software)

Last updated
Notion
Developer(s) Notion Labs, Inc.
Initial release2016;8 years ago (2016)
Stable release
2.36 [1]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg / 20 December 2023
Operating system
Available inKorean, English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Finnish (Beta), Danish (Beta), Dutch (Beta), Norwegian (Beta), Swedish (Beta)
Type Note-taking, Wiki (Knowledge management software, Collaborative software)
License Proprietary software, Freemium
Website www.notion.so OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Notion is a productivity and note-taking web application developed by Notion Labs, Inc. It is an online only organizational tool on many different operating systems, with options for both free and paid subscriptions. It is based in San Francisco, California, United States.

Contents

Software

Notion is a collaboration platform with Markdown and including kanban boards, tasks, wikis and databases. It is a workspace for notetaking, knowledge and data management, as well as project and task management. [2] It has file management in a single workspace, allowing users to comment on ongoing projects, participate in discussions, and receive feedback. [3] It can be accessed by cross-platform apps and by most web browsers. [4]

It includes a "clipper" for screenshotting content from webpages. [5] It exists for users to schedule tasks, manage files, save documents, set reminders, keep agendas, and organize their work. LaTeX support allows writing and pasting equations in block or inline form. [6]

Users can sign into Notion using their Google account, Apple ID or email.

History

Notion Labs, Inc. was created as a startup in San Francisco, California, founded in 2013 by Ivan Zhao, Chris Prucha, Jessica Lam, Simon Last and Toby Schachman. [7]

In August 2016, Notion 1.0 was released on Product Hunt and is nominated for Golden Kitty 2016 in desktop product.

In March 2018, Notion 2.0 was released. At that point, the company had fewer than 10 employees. [8]

In June 2018, an Android app was released. [9]

In September 2019, the company announced it had reached 1 million users. [10]

In January 2020, Notion had $50 million in investments from Index Ventures and others. [10] In April 2020, it was valued at two billion dollars. [11]

On September 7, 2021, Notion acquired Automate.io, a Hyderabad-based startup. [12] In October of that year, a new round of funding led by Coatue Management and Sequoia Capital helped Notion raise $275 million. The investment valued Notion at $10 billion, and the company had 20 million users. [13]

In 2022, Notion launched the Notion Certified Program, an accreditation for users to expand their use of the platform. [14] [15] It also joined the Security First Initiative, a group of tech companies pledged to sharing security information with their customers. [16]

In June 2022, Notion acquired the calendar software Cron. [17] [18] [19]

In July 2022, Notion acquired FlowDash. [20]

In November 2022, Notion announced its official Japanese release. [21]

In February 2023, Notion released the "Notion AI" service that can be used on the workspace. [22]

In April 2023, Notion released multi-factor authentication for its users. [23]

In November 2023, Notion released 'Q&A', an AI feature allowing users to ask questions directly to AI and receive answers based on information stored in the workspace.

On January 17, 2024, Notion released their second product 'Notion Calendar', a fully-featured calendar application with integrations to Notion pages and databases. [24] [25] [26]

On February 9, 2024, Notion acquired the email service Skiff. [27] [28]

Features

Notion does not require specialized training to use. It uses AI and a library of free and fee-based templates, with the Notion AI functionality, users can write and improve content, summarize existing notes, daily standup, adjust the tone, translate or check text. [29] [30] Security features include Security Assertion Markup Language single sign-on and private team spaces for their Business and Enterprise tiers. [29]

Notion enables its users to integrate with more than 70 other SaaS tools, such as Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Zoom, Jira, Cisco Webex, Zapier, and Typeform. [31]

Blocks

Notion is made up of blocks (These blocks are similar to elements in HTML). This allows users to customize a page by adding and moving blocks in various ways. In June 2021, Notion released a synced block, which is a type that, when copied and pasted across different pages in a user's workspace, shows edits between them. [32]

Databases

One of Notion's features is its databases. Databases are used for storing information and can hold any number of rows and columns. By default, each row will have two pre-populated properties: 'Name' and 'Tags'. Users can add more properties, such as date, checkbox, multi-select, URL, and more. When creating databases, users can choose to either create it 'inline', within an already existing page, or as its own page. [33]

Templates

Notion users can make and use templates. Notion hosts its own template gallery, where users can browse through templates made by other Notion creators. However, not all of these templates are free to use. Some creators profit from selling Notion templates. Jason Ruiyi Chen, from Singapore, made $239,000 by selling his Notion templates to his Twitter audience. Thomas Frank, a YouTuber with 2.8 million subscribers as of February 2023, made $1 million in 2022. [34] [35]

Notion AI

Notion AI uses artificial intelligence, which enables prediction of some results, text generation and solving arithmetic. It will also work with other datasets in response to an input by the user of the AI. This AI can automate some tasks and assist the user to make a paragraph or outline from a line of text. Notion AI has its own subscription set which is $10 per month per person. [36] [37] The service is powered by the API of Anthropic. [38]

Notion Calendar

Notion Calendar integrates time management with the workspaces and databases within Notion. It allows you to see and manage your professional and personal events in one application, syncing with Google Calendar for consolidated scheduling. With Notion Calendar, you can link database entries to calendar events, enabling efficient planning and task tracking. To get started, users download the app, connect their calendar accounts, and can then integrate their Notion workspaces and databases for a unified view of tasks and schedules. [39]

Notion Partnerships

Notion also offers different types of partnerships, [40] with various focuses:

Some of Notion's current partners include: Zoom, Slack, Github, Google Drive, AWS, Asana, Figma, and Typeform.

Pricing

Notion has a four tiered subscription model: Free, Plus, Business, and Enterprise. [41] Users can also earn credit via referrals. As of May 2020, the company changed the Personal plan to allow unlimited blocks. [42] Notion also offers a free student plan called "Notion for education". [43]

See also

Related Research Articles

The following tables compare general and technical information for many wiki software packages.

Evernote is a note-taking and task-management application developed by the Evernote Corporation. It is intended for archiving and creating notes with embedded photos, audio, and saved web content. Notes are stored in virtual "notebooks" and can be tagged, annotated, edited, searched, and exported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zotero</span> Open-source reference management software

Zotero is free and open-source reference management software to manage bibliographic data and related research materials, such as PDF and ePUB files. Features include web browser integration, online syncing, generation of in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies, integrated PDF, ePUB and HTML readers with annotation capabilities, and a note editor, as well as integration with the word processors Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, and Google Docs. It was originally created at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and, as of 2021, is developed by the non-profit Corporation for Digital Scholarship.

Google Workspace is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed and marketed by Google. It consists of Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Meet and Chat for communication; Drive for storage; and the Google Docs Editors suite for content creation. An Admin Panel is provided for managing users and services. Depending on edition Google Workspace may also include the digital interactive whiteboard Jamboard and an option to purchase add-ons such as the telephony service Voice. The education edition adds a learning platform Google Classroom and today has the name Workspace for Education. It previously included Google Currents for employee engagement.

HubSpot, Inc. is an American developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service. HubSpot was founded by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinterest</span> American photo sharing platform

Pinterest is an American image sharing and social media service designed to enable saving and discovery of information like recipes, home, style, motivation, and inspiration on the internet using images and, on a smaller scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboards. Created by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp, Pinterest, Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlackBerry 10</span> Proprietary mobile operating system

BlackBerry 10 (BB10) was a proprietary mobile operating system for the BlackBerry line of smartphones, both developed by BlackBerry Limited. Released in January 2013, BlackBerry 10 is a complete rework from the company's previous BlackBerry OS software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleksy</span> Virtual keyboard

Fleksy is a third-party, proprietary virtual keyboard app for Android and iOS devices. It attempts to improve traditional typing speed and accuracy through enhanced auto-correction and gesture controls. Fleksy uses error-correcting algorithms that analyze the region where the user touches the keyboard and feeds this through a language model, which calculates and identifies the intended word. Swiping gestures are used to control common functions, such as space, delete, and word correction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mailbird</span> Desktop email client software app

Mailbird is a desktop email client for Microsoft Windows, compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11. As well as sending and receiving emails, Mailbird includes managing calendar events and contacts from different email providers, social media, task management, file share, and video-conferencing integrations. Mailbird is offered via paid subscription, but also includes a free version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton (software)</span> Cross-platform e-mail application

Newton is an email management application for iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows and ChromeOS developed by CloudMagic, Inc. The application is known for its searching capabilities, cross-platform abilities and user interface. It has been referred to as an email client better than Gmail's native app. As from September 15, 2016, CloudMagic has been renamed to Newton Mail with premium services, adding a host of new features and functions.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), offered by Google, is a suite of cloud computing services that provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning, alongside a set of management tools. It runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Docs, according to Verma, et.al. Registration requires a credit card or bank account details.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brainly</span> Educational technology company

Brainly is an education company based in Kraków, Poland, with headquarters in New York City. It is an AI-powered homework help platform targeting students and parents. As of November 2020, Brainly reported having 15 million daily active users, making it the world's most popular education app. In 2024, FlexOS reported Brainly as the #1 Generative AI Tool in the education category and the #6 Generative AI Tool overall. Also in 2024, Andreessen Horowitz reported Brainly as #6 in the Top 50 Gen AI Mobile Apps by monthly active users.

Any.do is a productivity platform aimed at task and project management. It is available on mobile, web, and wearables with built-in integrations including calendars, chat applications, and virtual assistants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cash App</span> Mobile payment service developed by Block, Inc.

Cash App is a mobile payment service available in the United States and the United Kingdom that allows users to transfer money to one another using a mobile phone app. As of 2024, the service reports 57 million monthly transacting users and US$14.7 billion in annual revenues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostinger</span> Web hosting

Hostinger is a web hosting company. Established in 2004, the company is headquartered in Lithuania and employs about 900 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike (application)</span> Best email client to exist

Spike is a multi-platform application designed to function both as an email client and a business messaging and collaboration tool, available on Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android and the web. It has a chat-like, conversational view for emails, along with additional integrated features. Depending on the selected plan, it can be used solely as an email application or as a full suite of business communication tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft 365</span> Subscription services offered by Microsoft

Microsoft 365 is a product family of productivity software, collaboration and cloud-based services owned by Microsoft. It encompasses online services such as Outlook.com, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, programs formerly marketed under the name Microsoft Office, enterprise products and services associated with these products such as Exchange Server, SharePoint, and Viva Engage. It also covers subscription plans encompassing these products, including those that include subscription-based licenses to desktop and mobile software, and hosted email and intranet services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tables (Google)</span> Cloud-based collaborative database software

Tables is a collaborative database program developed out of Google's Area 120 incubator. Tables is available as a web application. The app allows users to collaborate in real-time to track work more efficiently using automation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Loop</span> Collaboration software

Microsoft Loop is an online collaborative workspace that offers a variety of features to help users gather, organize, and build notes, ideas, and projects. It comes with templates for meetings, project planning, and personal tasks, and offers integration with other Microsoft and third-party tools and services. Loop was officially announced on 2 November 2021 as an addition to Microsoft 365 suite of apps.

Postman is a global software company that offers an API platform for developers to design, build, test, and collaborate on APIs.

References

  1. "Notion 2.36: speed improvements, better search, and upgrades to web publishing".
  2. "Notion goes where Evernote dares not: what you need to know". Android Community. 8 June 2018.
  3. Probst, Collin (2022-07-13). "5 things you need to know about Notion". TechRadar. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  4. Raphael, J. R. (2021-10-27). "3 fantastic ways Notion can make you more efficient". Computerworld. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  5. Newton, Casey (2019-03-06). "Notion's new web clipper makes it a powerful competitor to Evernote". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  6. Lee, Joel (2019-02-05). "The 7 Best Note-Taking Apps for Programmers and Coders". MUO. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  7. "Notion Labs, Inc. Company Profile: Financials, Valuation, and Growth". PrivCo. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  8. Shah, Hiten (2019-05-28). "How Ivan Zhao's Notion Is Going After Atlassian and Why It Just Might Win". FYI. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  9. "Notion brings its powerful note-taking app to Android". The Verge . 7 June 2018.
  10. 1 2 Griffith, Erin (2020-04-01). "Notion, Maker of Collaboration Software, Raises $50 Million". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  11. "레고블록처럼 사용하는 생산성 앱 '노션' 한국어 버전 정식 출시" [Full release of productivity app 'Notion' in Korean]. 테크M (in Korean). 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  12. "Notion acquires India's Automate.io in push to accelerate product expansion". Techcrunch. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  13. Konrad, Alex. "Notion Reaches $10 Billion Valuation, Boosted By Remote Work — And TikTok". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  14. Lawrence, Lizzy (2022-03-02). "Notion wants to mobilize your Notion-obsessed employees". Protocol. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  15. Finnegan, Matthew (2022-03-04). "Coda and Notion turn up the heat on Microsoft Office". Computerworld. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  16. "Utah-based Whistic leads out in new security-first initiative consortium". Utah Business. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  17. Allison, Angela (2022-06-09). "Notion Acquires Cron, the Next-Generation Calendar". Business Wire . Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  18. "Notion acquires Cron, the next-generation calendar". notion.so. 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  19. Schaad, Raphael (2022-06-09). "Cron × Notion". cron.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  20. Carson, Biz. "Why Notion bought Flowdash and did a tender offer - Protocol". www.protocol.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  21. "Notion「日本語正式版」になる". www.watch.impress.co.jp. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  22. "What Is Notion AI? The Latest Buzzy Writing Assistant, Explained". screenrant.com. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  23. "2-step verification – Notion Help Center". Notion. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  24. Lardinois, Frederic (2024-01-17). "Notion launches a standalone calendar app". TechCrunch . Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  25. Schaad, Raphael (2024-01-17). "Introducing Notion Calendar: an integrated calendar for work and life". notion.so. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  26. Schaad, Raphael (2024-01-17). "Cron is now Notion Calendar". cron.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  27. Kothari, Akshay (9 February 2024). "Meet Skiff, the newest member of the Notion family". Notion. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  28. Mehta, Ivan (10 February 2024). "Notion acquires privacy-focused productivity platform Skiff". TechCrunch. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  29. 1 2 Kelly, Will (2023-01-20). "Evernote and Notion take aim at enterprise collaboration market". TechTarget. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  30. Snyder, Brady (2023-02-24). "What Is Notion AI? The Latest Buzzy Writing Assistant, Explained". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  31. "Integrations". Notion. Archived from the original on 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  32. Frank, Thomas (2021-05-10). "Notion Blocks: Everything You Need to Know". Thomas Frank. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  33. Los, Sija (2022-12-09). "The Only Tutorial You'll Need to Get Your Notion Up and Running". Medium. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  34. "The YouTuber Making $1 Million Selling Notion 'Templates'". The Information. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  35. Courter, Emily. "I made $239,000 this year selling budgeting and productivity templates online. It's the perfect business to start as a one-person team". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  36. "Notion AI". Notion. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  37. "Using Notion AI to extend your impact". Notion. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  38. "Notion is key partner of Anthropic". Archived from the original on 2023-12-28.
  39. Schaad, Raphael (2024-01-17). "Introducing Notion Calendar — an integrated calendar for work and life". Notion. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  40. "Become a Notion partner". Notion. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  41. "Notion Pricing Plans".
  42. Newton, Casey (2020-05-19). "Notion just removed the biggest limit on its free plan". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  43. "Notion for education". Notion. Retrieved 2024-04-21.