The honest guide
Looking for aNotion alternative?
Notion is very good at being a workspace. That is a different job from being a notes app, and the difference shows up the day you stop configuring and just want to write. Here is the honest field.
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Why people go looking
The free plan changes when someone joins
Notion publishes blocks as unlimited for individuals but limited once a workspace has two or more members. A solo trial and a shared workspace are not the same product, and you usually find that out after you have moved in.
Five megabytes is a small attachment
File uploads on the free plan cap at 5 MB. That is under one phone photo in many cases, and well under a scanned document or a slide deck.
A week of history
Version history on the free plan is 7 days. For a workspace you are trusting with meeting notes and decisions, a week is a short memory.
What to look for in a notes app, if that is what you actually wanted
- Opens straight into writing, with no workspace to configure first
- Imports your Notion Markdown export, id suffixes and all
- Search that works on a large library, not just a tidy one
- Attachments that are not capped at a few megabytes
- Offline editing that does not need per-page setup
- An export path that does not depend on staying subscribed
The field, honestly
Cimanote is one option among several, and it is not the right one for everybody. Here is the honest shape of the field.
| App | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cimanote | $6/mo Pro, free plan, 30-day trial | People who want notes plus an AI knowledge base, without building a system first |
| Obsidian | Free, Sync from $4/mo | Local Markdown files you fully control, and enjoying the setup |
| Apple Notes | Free, iCloud+ from $0.99/mo | Simple notes when every device you own is Apple |
| OneNote | Free, Microsoft 365 from $9.99/mo | Stylus and ink on a freeform canvas, inside Microsoft |
| Evernote | Free tier, paid from $99/year | People who want the classic clipper-and-notebooks shape |
| Notion | $10/mo Plus, $20/mo Business | Staying put, if databases and boards are the actual reason you opened it |
Prices are the vendors’ own published figures, checked in August 2026. They change; check before you commit.
Cimanote fits if…
- You mostly wrote notes in Notion and rarely touched a database.
- You want AI that reads your library in the background instead of a chat box you have to prompt.
- You want attachments that are not capped at a few megabytes, and offline editing with no per-page setup (Pro).
- You are the only person in your workspace and always were.
Look elsewhere if…
- →You need databases, relations, rollups or kanban boards. Cimanote has none of those on purpose, and Notion is the right tool.
- →Your team runs its projects in Notion and the workspace matters more than the editor.
- →You want to compare the two head to head rather than survey the field: Cimanote vs Notion
Moving your Notion notes across
Export your Notion workspace as Markdown and drop the folder into Cimanote. Page titles and the Tags property become real titles and tags, folders become notebooks, and the conversion runs in your browser rather than on our servers. Notion's other page properties come across as plain text at the top of the note.
See the Notion import guide →Common questions
What is the best Notion alternative for note-taking?
It depends on what you want back. If you want notes that organize and connect themselves, Cimanote is built for that. If you want local Markdown files you fully control, Obsidian. If you want the classic notebooks-and-clipper shape, Evernote. The one thing worth being honest about is that none of them replaces Notion as a workspace, because none of them is trying to.
What does the Notion free plan actually limit?
Notion publishes four limits on the free plan: blocks are unlimited for individuals but limited once a workspace has two or more members, file uploads cap at 5 MB, version history is 7 days, and you get 10 external guests. Notion also states that Notion AI is only available on Business and Enterprise, with Free and Plus getting a limited number of complimentary AI responses.
How much does Notion cost once you pay?
Notion Plus is $10 per member per month and Business is $20, both with a discount for annual billing. Notion AI is only available on Business and Enterprise; Free and Plus get a limited number of complimentary responses. Cimanote Pro is $6 a month or $60 a year, with a free 30-day trial and no card, and the Knowledge Engine is included.
Can I move my Notion notes to Cimanote?
Yes. Export your workspace as Markdown from Notion and drag the folder in. Page titles and the Tags property become real titles and tags, and folders become notebooks; Notion's other page properties arrive as plain text at the top of the note. Databases do not carry across as databases, because Cimanote has no database feature to receive them.
Does Cimanote have anything like Notion databases?
No, and that is a deliberate scope decision rather than a roadmap gap. Cimanote is a notes app. If relations, rollups and boards are why you use Notion, staying on Notion is the right call.
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