社会科学 & 效率生活

How to choose Notion productivity tools? Comprehensive comparison and evaluation of Notion, FlowUs, and Wolai

Jun 17, 2022

Notion

introduce

What is Notion ? This is a block editor that advocates All in One and is based on various Block combinations. In addition, Notion draws on Airtable's Database function and proposes Open as Page, which has evolved into a unique Database based on various Page pages.

Notion's Database has features, but it's not completely original . This is a fact. The Block feature is not original to Notion, if you look into it. The unique feature of Notion is that it has formed its own characteristics and style based on the integration of existing concepts. If some Notion users cannot accept the above point of view, you can read " Why domestic notebook users did not accuse Notion of borrowing Airtable's form at the pixel level, but instead regarded it as an innovation? 》

Notion's star product in the notebook market in recent years, it can even be said to be the most popular and most popular product of ordinary users. Notion used a PLG-based marketing strategy with great success. This can be seen from the rapid growth of Notion.

The popularity of Notion has brought a lot of fresh blood to the notebook market. To this end, there are many notes that transplant and integrate Notion's features into their existing product features. For example, Evernote's VERSE, Microsoft's Loop. In addition, there are also products that benchmark Notion in China - Wolai and FlowUs. For details, please read " The Most Complete Notion Software Inventory on the Whole Network ".

advantage

Notion, as the leader of similar products, in terms of function, most of its functions are leading . Therefore, I do not intend to list specifically what powerful functions Notion has. As latecomers, the core functions of Wolai and FlowUs are still in the stage of catching up with Notion. Of course, Wolai and FlowUs also have some special features of their own. Compare this later.

The core function of Notion products is Database . At present, the development focus of Notion is to improve the function of Database. From the perspective of development strategy, Notion is trying to make its Database function as powerful as Airtable's multi-dimensional table. For example, Notion has more powerful code-free management capabilities and provides more professional services to meet the advanced needs of enterprise users . Naturally, API-based automation services are also part of this goal. According to this logic, Notion may have some built-in plugins in the future to make Notion more powerful.

Notion has a strong ecosystem , which is Notion's core competitiveness. At present, there are a large number of Chrome plug-ins, third-party service sites, etc. around Notion. For details, please read " Notion High-quality Resources Summary ".

shortcoming

Notion has many advantages, but for Chinese users, the disadvantages are also more obvious.

Due to well-known reasons, the use of Notion in the mainland has the problem of unstable network environment and slow loading .

As mentioned earlier, Notion has a strong ecosystem. However, if you do not solve the problem of the network environment. Well, unfortunately, most of those third-party services cannot be used normally .

The future of Notion. As we all know, the Notion trademark has been suspected of misappropriation by Evernote. For details, you can read " How to deal with Evernote's suspected misappropriation of Notion.so's logo and squatting trademark?" 》

In addition, if Notion develops further in China, it must be bound by relevant policies and regulations. Therefore, in the future, Notion will either establish a localized company like EverNote, or it will be blocked directly. Specific wait and see.

Summarize

Listen and be clear. The following are two related questions with different starting points. It is recommended to check the evaluations of other users.

How do you rate Notion note-taking software?

Is there any software similar to notion in China?

Wolai

introduce

A Notion Like product.

advantage

On the basis of Notion, some new optimizations and features have been added according to China's user habits and service needs. Most of these can be seen on Wolai's official pricing page.

For example, Wolai has added an information graph function, that is, the Graph function in double-chain notes such as Roam Research. In addition, Wolai has added Chinese and English input optimization, picture OCR, good luck and other functions.

shortcoming

In the same functional comparison, Wolai has more functional limitations than FlowUs, and the price is higher . Of course, Wolai's list of paid features is detailed, adding some features that some users like . If these features just meet your needs, you can also consider paying.

Core function : Wolai's public beta was earlier, but as of now [April 3, 22], Wolai's Database still does not have a timeline view. In contrast, FlowUs has launched a timeline function. Of course, different functions, each product has a priority, continue to wait and see.

If you want to compare the relevant paid functions and prices, it is recommended to read " Notion Software Horizontal Evaluation: Notion, FlowUs, Wolai ". This article uses the price information on the official websites of these three products to compare the functions and prices in detail.

Summarize

Listen and be clear. As the product evolves, the advantages and disadvantages summarized above will inevitably become obsolete. It may be better to see more reviews from other users.

Similarly, the following are also two related hot topics, specifically go to reading and self-examination.

FlowUs Flow Notes

introduce

A featured, Notion-like All in One productivity tool.

Core functions

Block editor - supports various Blocks including pages, to-do lists, code blocks, etc. At the same time, it also supports synchronized blocks to facilitate knowledge reuse of Block content. In addition, support page dynamics and comment functions.
Simple form : supports simple forms to meet users' lightweight requirements for forms.
Database, the multidimensional table , supports seven views including tables, kanbans, galleries, catalogs, timelines, calendars, collection tables , etc.
Multidimensional table function : support basic functions such as grouping, filtering, sorting, etc. At the same time, it also supports advanced functions such as formulas, associations, and summaries , which is convenient for multi-dimensional tables to realize automatic data summarization and presentation . In addition, it supports the function of referencing multi-dimensional tables , which is convenient for users to share Database in multiple pages.
Template function : template button + template market. Powerful, diverse and personalized templates can meet the needs of different users.
Collaboration function : Supports multiple collaboration permission functions such as viewing, editing, commenting, and copying .

Reference and Embedding of Multidimensional Tables

special function

Compared with Notion, FlowUs supports Chinese interface and optimizes the details for Chinese users' usage habits.
It supports native development and solves the input problem of the mobile terminal . For most users, the requirements for the mobile terminal are real-time synchronization of content and support for quick input . FlowUs as a cloud note, there is no problem with natural content cross-platform. The native application can bring users a good mobile terminal experience, realize open and write, and quickly collect various knowledge and content.
Support folder page: integrate the network disk into your note-taking system
What is a folder page? Like a network disk application , FlowUs allows users to upload their frequently used office files to the note space in the form of a folder or multiple files with one click. And, FlowUs allows users to preview office files in folder pages online for free .
In similar software like Notion, files can only exist as attachments . For Notion, you need to use a browser jump to view the attachment content. For other similar software, you need to upgrade to the personal Pro version before you can preview it online.
The folder page has three views : title view, card view, and preview view, which are convenient for users to preview different forms of file content.

Folder page: integrate the network disk into your note-taking system

It is very friendly to individual users and has a high cost performance .
As in the article " Notion Software Horizontal Evaluation: Notion, FlowUs, Wolai ", FlowUs is cost-effective based on the specific functions and price comparisons of these three software.
In many of the same functions, FlowUs provides users with more benefits. For example, the group version of less than five people is free , and this feature is charged in software such as Notion. In addition, with core functions such as file upload and word limit per block , FlowUs provides more storage space and fewer functional limitations.
Of course, FlowUs also supports educational discounts .
Rich software linkage ecosystem : FlowUs forms software linkage with many excellent third-party services such as whiteboards, mind maps, flowcharts, and design collaboration . Specifically, FlowUs supports Figma, Airtable, Sketch, Moknife, Ike, Excalidraw, ProcessOn, Canva, Bilibili, Tencent Video, Youku Video, NetEase Cloud Music, Codepen.

View and edit mind maps, whiteboards, flowcharts directly inside FlowUs

FlowUs Flow Notes Template

Homepage Dashboard Template

FlowUs Dashboard Template Sharing

Self-media operation template

We Media Operation · Template Sharing

Progress bar comprehensive template

The above template parts are made using the domestic widget library NotionPet . For more widgets, it is recommended to visit the official website:

NotionPet official website - rich widget library, dynamic icon library - provides a large number of beautiful and practical widgets, which can assist in time management, task management, note taking, information management, creative writing and other usage scenarios. Among them, the number of widgets is constantly enriched and the service is stable . Moreover, NotionPet provides powerful customization services to meet your individual configuration needs .
Domestic Component Library NotionPet: Embedding Visualization Modules for Notes - Special Article Evaluation on NotionPet