![Craft vs. Notion: The Ultimate Comparison [2024]](https://wp.2sync.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/craft-vs-notion.png)
Craft and Notion are leading digital productivity tools, offering unique approaches to organizing your work and ideas. Notion is a one-in-all suite for note-taking and database management, while Craft focuses on document management. This article compares their features, interfaces, and strengths to help you choose the best fit for your needs. Keep reading!
Table of contents
Craft vs. Notion compared
| Feature | Craft | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Note-taking & editing interface | Clean, minimalist, focus on content | Modular, flexible, database-driven |
| Rich text formatting | Robust, intuitive, block-based | Basic, functional |
| Learning curve | Relatively easy, intuitive interface | A steeper learning curve, requires understanding of databases |
| Markdown support | Excellent, real-time preview | Limited, requires toggling |
| Embedding capabilities | Images, videos, PDFs, tweets, code blocks | Images, videos, PDFs, embeds from other Notion pages, web bookmarks |
| AI features | AI Assistant (GPT) | Generative AI assistant (Notion AI) |
| Folders & subfolders | Yes | Yes |
| Tags | Yes | Yes |
| Databases | No | Yes, powerful relational databases |
| Linking & backlinking | Bi-directional linking between blocks & documents | Bi-directional linking between blocks & pages |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes, with live cursors & presence indicators | Yes, with simultaneous editing |
| Commenting | Yes, inline & threaded comments | Yes, inline & page-level comments |
| Version control | Yes, automatic & manual saving | Yes, automatic version history |
| Sharing options | Public links, private links, invite-only collaboration | Public pages, private pages, invite-only collaboration |
| Themes | Limited options | Customizable themes & dark mode |
| Templates | Variety of built-in & custom templates | Extensive template library & custom templates |
| Plugins & integrations | Growing ecosystem | Integrations with Slack, Google Drive, Todoist, etc. |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Vision Pro | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Offline access | Yes, with local storage & sync | Yes, with limited offline editing & sync |
| Community & support | Active community, responsive support | Large & active community, extensive documentation & support |
| Pricing | Free | Paid plans start at $10/month | Generous free plan | Paid plans start at $12/month |
Reasons to choose Craft
- Clean, focused interface minimizes distractions.
- Focus on document management.
- Superior markdown support for streamlined writing.
- More intuitive rich-text formatting options.
- Offline functionality is more reliable and robust.
- Simpler learning curve for quick onboarding.
Reasons to choose Notion
- Powerful databases enable complex data organization.
- Extensive template library offers pre-built solutions.
- Wider range of integrations expands functionality.
- More customizable interface to fit your style.
- Thriving community fosters knowledge sharing and support.
Craft vs. Notion: Which one should you choose?
Let’s review all the differences between Craft and Notion to help you decide which one suits you best.
Note-taking and editing
Craft boasts a clean and minimalist interface, prioritizing focus and content clarity.
Its block-based editor allows for seamless organization and intuitive formatting, making it a breeze to create visually appealing notes.
You can effortlessly add images, videos, and other media to enrich your content.
On the other hand, Notion embraces a more modular and flexible approach, enabling you to build dynamic pages with various content types, including databases, tables, and embeds.
This versatility empowers you to create interconnected knowledge bases and project management hubs.
Craft shines with its excellent markdown support, offering a real-time preview and streamlining the writing process for those familiar with the syntax. Its rich text formatting options are robust and user-friendly, allowing for effortless customization.
Notion’s markdown capabilities are somewhat limited, requiring toggling between edit and preview modes. However, Notion compensates with its ability to embed content from various sources, including other Notion pages and web bookmarks, creating a truly interconnected workspace.
Organization and structure
Craft employs a familiar folder and subfolder system reminiscent of traditional file management. This hierarchical structure provides a clear, intuitive way to categorize and navigate your notes.
Additionally, Craft’s tagging system allows for further granularity in organizing and retrieving information across different folders.
Using the tool’s whiteboards, you can also create content and improvise on a large canvas, similar to what you can do with tools like OneNote.
Notion, however, takes a more database-centric approach. Its powerful relational databases enable you to create highly structured and interconnected knowledge bases.
You can link information across different pages, creating a web of interconnected ideas and projects.
Notion’s tagging system complements this database structure, providing additional flexibility for organizing and filtering information.
While Craft’s folder-based system offers simplicity and familiarity, Notion’s database capabilities provide a more robust and adaptable framework for those dealing with complex information and projects.
Customization and flexibility
One size rarely fits all when it comes to productivity tools. Thankfully, both Craft and Notion recognize the importance of customization and flexibility, allowing you to tailor your workspace to suit your unique preferences and workflow.
Craft offers a degree of customization with its selection of themes and the ability to create custom templates.
Its growing ecosystem of plugins and integrations further expands its functionality, allowing you to connect Craft with other tools and services you rely on.
Also, Craft’s API access empowers developers to build custom solutions and workflows.
Notion, on the other hand, takes customization to another level. Its highly customizable interface allows you to personalize themes, including dark mode, and choose from an extensive library of pre-built templates or create your own.
Notion’s integration capabilities are robust, offering seamless connections with popular platforms like Todoist, Slack, and Google Drive. Its API access also provides opportunities for advanced customization and automation.
👉 Learn more: Automation vs. AI: What Are the Differences?
Certainly, Notion’s strength resides in its ability to customize your databases and information in precisely the way you want, using multiple views, Kanban boards, lists, spreadsheets, tables, wikis, and much more.
Collaboration and sharing
Craft provides real-time collaboration with live cursors and presence indicators, allowing multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously.
Its inline and threaded commenting system fosters seamless communication and feedback within the context of the content.
Furthermore, Craft’s automatic and manual saving and version control ensure that your work is protected and easily recoverable. Sharing options include public links, private links, and invite-only collaboration, giving you granular control over who can access your notes.
Notion also supports real-time collaboration with simultaneous editing, allowing teams to work together seamlessly.
Its commenting system includes both inline and page-level comments, providing flexibility for different types of feedback.
Notion’s automatic version history ensures that you can track changes and revert to previous versions if needed.
Sharing options in Notion include public pages, private pages, and invite-only collaboration, giving you similar control over access as Craft.
AI
Both tools use artificial intelligence, but there are subtle differences.
Notion AI is designed to enhance productivity by automating repetitive tasks, providing intelligent suggestions, and streamlining project management.
It is excellent for generating content, brainstorming ideas, and summarizing information.
Notion AI can also assist with task prioritization and offers advanced natural language processing, making it a powerful tool for creating and managing content with minimal manual input.
However, it comes at an extra cost due to its more advanced functionalities.
On the other hand, Craft’s AI focuses on enhancing the user experience within its document-centric environment. It provides tools for content creation, such as generating outlines and summaries, which are particularly useful for drafting and refining documents.
While Craft’s AI is less robust compared to Notion’s, it integrates smoothly into Craft’s clean and visually appealing interface, making it a great choice for users who prefer a straightforward and aesthetically pleasing tool for writing and document management.
Mobile and offline access
Craft provides dedicated mobile apps for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, ensuring a seamless experience across Apple devices.
Its offline access is robust, allowing you to create, edit, and view your notes even without an internet connection.
Changes are synced automatically once you’re back online, ensuring you never lose your work.
Notion also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, as well as desktop apps for Windows and macOS.
While Notion’s offline functionality is available, it’s worth noting that offline editing capabilities are somewhat limited compared to Craft.
However, you can still access and view your notes offline, and changes will sync once you regain connectivity.
👉 Learn more: How to Use Notion Offline (Tips & Limitations)
Community and support
When navigating new tools, having access to a supportive community and reliable resources can make all the difference.
Both Craft and Notion have cultivated active communities where users can exchange tips, share templates, and seek assistance.
Craft’s community, while smaller, is known for its responsiveness and helpfulness.
Notion’s community is vast and vibrant, offering a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Both platforms also provide extensive documentation and tutorials to guide you through their features and functionalities.
Conclusion
In the end, the choice between Craft and Notion boils down to your individual needs and preferences.
👉 If you value a clean, focused writing environment with intuitive formatting and seamless markdown support focused on document management, Craft might be the perfect fit.
👉 If you want a highly customizable, all-in-one workspace with robust database capabilities and extensive integrations, Notion could be the answer.
Whichever tool you choose, remember that you can further enhance your productivity by integrating Notion with other essential tools in your workflow.
2sync offers a seamless solution for syncing Notion with popular platforms like Google Calendar, Todoist, and more. With 2sync’s plug-and-play automations, you can effortlessly bridge the gap between Notion and your favorite tools, creating a truly unified workspace.
