Total flexibility
Any structure, any view. If you know what you want, you build it.
Plaanly vs Notion
Plaanly vs Notion for small businesses
Many people build their “CRM” and “project manager” in Notion. It works — as long as someone has time to keep the databases talking to each other.
Let's be fair
What Notion does well
Docs and wiki
For processes, meeting notes and internal knowledge it's unbeatable. We use it.
Cheap to start
Free for one person; affordable for small teams.
The problem
Where it breaks in a small business
Notion doesn't know what a lead, a proposal or a leave balance is. You have to teach it — and maintain it.
You are the developer
Database relations, formulas, per-person views, permissions. Whoever built it is the only one who understands it. When they leave, the system dies.
No email, no proposals, no acceptance
The proposal is a shared page. No tracking, no price options, no “accept” that changes the lead's status.
No operations
Leave balance, payroll, hourly rate, margin — you can simulate with formulas. Nobody trusts formulas to pay salaries.
Side by side
What changes
| Notion | Plaanly | |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | Hand-built database; kanban views possible. | Ready pipeline: stages, value, alerts, interaction feed. |
| Proposals | Shared page; no options, tracking or acceptance. | Branded link, price packages, logged opens, online acceptance. |
| Projects | Very good for tasks and documentation. | Real-time kanban, sprints, timeline, costs and margin linked to the client. |
| Email and WhatsApp | Not covered. | IMAP webmail, sequences, WhatsApp linked to the contact. |
| Team and HR | Simulated with formulas. | Leave with balance and approval, payroll, recruitment. |
| Maintenance | Someone on the team maintains the structure. | None — the structure is the product. |
| Internal docs | Excellent. | Google Docs linked to tasks and projects. For a wiki, stay on Notion. |
Notion features as per the product's public information at the time of writing; always confirm on their site.
Migrate
Bringing the databases from Notion
Each database exports to CSV. What was a relation becomes an automatic link.
- 1
Export the contacts and deals databases
CSV from each Notion database.
- 2
Import and map
Status columns become stages; important properties become custom fields.
- 3
Leave the wiki in Notion
Plaanly doesn't replace internal documentation. Link what matters by URL.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect Notion to Plaanly?
There is no direct integration. You can link Notion pages by URL on tasks and projects.
Is Plaanly as flexible as Notion?
No, on purpose. It has custom fields and configurable stages, but the base structure is fixed — that's what avoids the maintenance.
What if I like having everything on one page?
Plaanly has the client record with everything — emails, proposals, projects, notes — without you having to build the view.
Should I leave Notion?
For wiki and documentation, no. To operate the company, yes.
Shall we put your company in one place?
Tell us what you're using today. We'll show you how it looks in Plaanly.