Sustainable Substitutes for Notion

A note-taking app with exhaustive capabilities, running on Big Tech infrastructure.

Reasons to avoid Notion

Notion comes with privacy concerns as it does not store your data encrypted, this makes users more vulnerable to potential data breaches and requests by authorities.

Notion relies on Big Tech infrastructure to deliver its product. The product itself is bloated with AI.

Go with a lean, privacy-friendly alternative.

Ethical and Sustainable Notion Alternatives

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  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.

The 3 main issues with Notion

Reliance on Big Tech - Services relying on Big Tech for their infrastructure.

Notion's infrastructure is heavily dependent on Amazon Web Services (AWS), a major Big Tech cloud provider. This reliance means Notion's environmental and ethical footprint is tied to AWS's practices, including its energy use and data centre operations.Source:AWS: Notion

AI Bloat - Service has unnecessary or harmful AI features.

Notion has increasingly integrated AI features, such as Notion AI, Custom Agents, Enterprise Search and AI Meeting Notes, which seems like unnecessary bloat that complicates the user experience and increases resource use.Source:TechCrunch: Notion just turned its workspace into a hub for AI agents (2026)

Privacy Concerns - User data is likely to be stored and used against users' best interest.

Notion does not have end-to-end encryption. That means Notion or US authorities (via the CLOUD act) can access your information.Source:Michael Swengel on Medium: DON’T Use Notion to Store Private Information (2023)

Suggestions and Feedback

If you have suggestions for more alternatives or general feedback, please contact me via email or create an issue over on Codeberg. Suggest Substitute on Codeberg Write an Email