Trilium vs Notion
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Trilium is a note-taking application with a strong focus on building large personal knowledge bases. It is designed to be a long-term companion for thinking and learning. Trilium stores data in a central database, allowing notes to be organized in a tree-like structure with tags and links.
Notion is a single space where you can think, write, and plan. Capture thoughts, manage projects, or even run an entire company.
Free for individuals; paid plans start at $10/user/month for teams.
- Highly customizable
- Powerful full-text search
- Hierarchical structure
- Open-source and self-hosted
- Extremely flexible - adapts to almost any workflow
- Clean, minimal interface
- Strong template ecosystem
- Good mobile apps
- Steep learning curve
- Limited mobile support
- Not suitable for simple note-taking
- Can get slow with very large databases
- Steep learning curve for advanced features
- Offline mode is limited
What reviewers say
Trilium Reviews
No reviews yet.
Notion Reviews
4.3 (4)Solid choice
Our team evaluated a few options before settling on Notion. Strong template ecosystem. No major complaints so far. Would recommend to anyone considering it.
Highly recommend Notion
Notion has quickly become part of our daily workflow. Good mobile apps. One minor gripe: offline mode is limited, but it hasn't been a dealbreaker. Would recommend to anyone considering it.
Great tool for productivity
Been a daily user of Notion for a while now. Extremely flexible - adapts to almost any workflow. One minor gripe: steep learning curve for advanced features, but it hasn't been a dealbreaker. Would recommend to anyone considering it.
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to Trilium
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataTrilium is a free, open‑source, highly customizable hierarchical note‑taking tool best for power users who need self‑hosting, while Notion offers a polished, cloud‑based, collaborative workspace with rich integrations for teams willing to pay for premium features.
Key differences
- •Self‑hosting vs. cloud SaaS
- •Free vs. freemium pricing model
- •Open‑source customizability vs. extensive third‑party integrations
- •Hierarchical note structure vs. block‑based flexible pages
- •Limited mobile support vs. robust native mobile apps
Pricing & value
Trilium is completely free; Notion’s advanced features require paid plans starting at $10/user/month.
Ease of use / learning curve
Notion’s clean UI is easier for newcomers; Trilium’s steep learning curve and limited mobile hinder ease.
Features & depth
Both excel in different ways: Trilium offers powerful hierarchical notes and full‑text search; Notion provides relational databases and AI tools.
Integrations & ecosystem
Notion includes native integrations (Slack, Google Drive, Figma, Jira) and an API; Trilium has no API or integrations.
Collaboration
Notion supports guest access, granular sharing, and real‑time collaboration; Trilium is primarily a personal knowledge base.
Scalability
Notion handles large team databases (though can slow); Trilium is self‑hosted, but limited mobile and UI affect large‑scale use.
Support & security
Notion offers email, help center, community support; Trilium relies only on GitHub Issues and self‑hosting for security.
Choose Trilium if…
Researchers or solo knowledge workers needing free, self‑hosted, highly customizable hierarchical notes.
Choose Notion if…
Startups or teams that need collaborative, cloud‑based workspaces with integrations and are okay paying for premium features.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use Trilium?
No, Trilium is free and open‑source.
Can Notion be used offline?
Offline mode is limited; Notion’s functionality is primarily cloud‑based.
Does Trilium support API access for automation?
No, Trilium does not provide an API.