When choosing a project management tool, the most important criteria to meet are features that support your specific needs, whether it’s fitting a specific project management methodology, accommodating freelancer collaboration, or automating processes.

While Notion and monday.com have several features in common, they also have their own unique options for project-specific needs. Depending on the kind of work, task management, or collaboration you need, the experience of each software will be different.

Notion vs monday: Comparison table

Notion vs monday: Pricing

When comparing the pricing structures of Notion and monday.com, both platforms offer tiered plans, but there are notable differences in costs and potential additional fees.

Both tools deliver straightforward and transparent pricing plans, with Notion offering a free plan for individuals and paid tiers starting at $8 per user per month, designed to scale with advanced features like enhanced collaboration and security in the Business and Enterprise plans.

This simplicity makes Notion appealing to individuals or small teams looking for cost-effective solutions. However, if you need advanced features like the AI tool, this comes as an add-on at an additional cost of $8 per member per month.

In contrast, I found monday.com’s pricing to be more incremental and flexible, beginning with a free plan that’s limited but adequate for very small teams. As businesses grow, they can choose from plans starting at $9 per seat per month, with the Pro and Enterprise plans offering extensive features like advanced integrations and automation.

One of the key points to note is that while monday.com generally doesn’t have hidden fees for the core features listed in each plan, additional costs can arise from using certain third-party integrations available in its app marketplace. Some of these integrations may require separate subscriptions, which can increase overall costs as your team’s needs grow. Furthermore, if your team exceeds the storage or record limits of your chosen plan, upgrading to a higher tier may become necessary, leading to additional expenses.

For a deeper look at these tools, have a look at the full Notion review and the full monday.com review.

Notion pricing

• Free: Personal use with basic features.
• Plus: $8 per user per month, billed annually.
• Business: $15 per user per month, billed annually.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, with advanced security and admin controls.

monday pricing

• Free: Basic features for up to two users, 1,000 items, and 500 MB of storage.
• Basic: $9 per seat per month billed annually or $12 per seat billed monthly.
• Standard: $12 per seat per month billed annually or $14 per seat billed monthly.
• Pro: $19 per seat per month billed annually or $24 per seat billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing; designed for large organizations with complex needs.

Notion vs monday: Feature comparison

Task management

Winner: monday.com

monday.com and Notion both offer effective task management features, but monday.com comes out slightly ahead of Notion because it combines a highly visual interface with advanced project tracking capabilities. monday.com supports multiple views like kanban, Gantt, and timeline. It’s easier to use to manage complex projects and track tasks efficiently across teams, and offers both customizable dashboards and automation features.

Notion, while certainly flexible, is more oriented toward personal and small team use cases that don’t require collaboration across departments. It provides straightforward task management that is best suited for simple projects.

SEE: Learn about the history of the Gantt chart and how to use it for project tracking.

Integrations

Winner: monday.com

monday.com offers over 200 integrations compared to Notion’s 90+. monday.com integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams as part of a wide range of built-in connections that can meet diverse business needs. This extensive integration network allows teams to streamline workflows and centralize operations effectively.

Notion’s integration capabilities, though functional, are more limited and rely heavily on third-party services like Zapier for additional connectivity. It offers connections with applications like Slack, Zapier, and Typeform using Notion API, which is available in all plans, so you can integrate with the tools you need.

Automation

Winner: monday.com

Automation is one of monday.com’s biggest strengths. It provides robust pre-built automation workflows that can be customized to automate repetitive tasks, send notifications, and manage dependencies. However, it’s important to note that these automation features are only available from the Standard plan up.

Notion, while offering some automation capabilities through templates and third-party tools, doesn’t match the depth and flexibility provided by monday.com, especially for larger teams with complex automation needs.

Customization

Winner: Notion

Notion is popular for its unparalleled customization capabilities, allowing users to create unique workflows, databases, and pages tailored to their specific needs. Its flexibility in building and organizing content makes it ideal for use cases where you need a highly personalized workspace.

I found monday.com, while also highly customizable with its boards and templates, to feel more structured compared to Notion, which ultimately limited the extent of customization. This makes Notion a better choice if you prioritize customization and building bespoke workflows.

AI features

Winner: monday.com

monday.com’s AI features are designed to enhance productivity across various business functions by automating data categorization, summarizing content, suggesting action items, and translating text. Available in the Pro and Enterprise plans, monday AI integrates directly into workflows, helping teams make informed decisions quickly.

Notion’s AI, available as an add-on, primarily focuses on enhancing content creation through features like summarization, translation, and writing assistance. While both tools leverage AI effectively, monday.com’s broader application across different business areas gives it a competitive edge.

Notion pros and cons

monday.com pros and cons

Should you use Notion or monday?

Choose Notion if:

• You need a flexible, customizable workspace for small teams or personal use.
• Document management and taking notes are top priorities.
• You’re working with a limited budget.
• Your team is small, and you prioritize simplicity and ease of use.
• Collaboration with external users like freelancers and clients is frequent.

Choose monday.com if:

• You require advanced project management tools with robust task tracking and automation.
• Your team needs extensive integrations with other tools.
• You manage large, complex projects and require detailed reporting and time tracking.
• You need more defined AI features to enhance your business processes.
• Security and compliance, such as HIPAA, are critical for your organization.

Methodology

To effectively compare Notion and monday.com, I based my assessment on hands-on experience with both tools to determine their strengths and weaknesses, especially based on factors like task management, flexibility, ease of use, and customization. I also compared their approach to AI as well as how they approach integrations.

While monday.com came out ahead in most of these categories, it’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean that Notion isn’t an effective tool, but rather shows that Notion is a rather niche tool whereas monday.com is more of an all-in-one project management platform.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Does Notion integrate with monday?

Notion does not offer a direct integration with monday.com. However, users can still connect the two platforms through third-party tools like Zapier, allowing for basic task syncing and workflow automation between the two. Additionally, Notion provides an option to import data from monday.com, such as tasks and due dates, though this is a one-time import and won’t automatically sync future updates between the platforms​.

Is monday the same as Notion?

No, monday.com and Notion are not the same. While both are versatile tools for managing work, monday.com is more focused on project management and task tracking, offering advanced features like automation and time tracking. Notion, on the other hand, is more customizable, focusing on note-taking, document management, and creating personalized workflows.