Strawberry Notes vs Notion
Notion is a workspace for typed docs, wikis, and databases. It's amazing for planning and teamwork, and lots of students use it to organize school. It isn't built for handwriting or studying, and that's where Strawberry Notes comes in.
Go with Notion if…
- You mostly type, and want docs, tables, and databases
- You plan projects or work with a team
- You need Windows, Mac, Android, or the web right now
- You're a student and want Plus free with your school email
Go with Strawberry Notes if…
- You take notes by hand with an Apple Pencil, on infinite pages with infinite zoom
- You want to write on your PDFs and slides
- You want to link your notes and see them all on a map
- You want flashcards with spaced repetition and image occlusion built in
- You want AI quizzes and study guides without a $24 a month plan
- You want your notes on your device, not on a company's servers
Side by side
Checked against Notion’s own website in October 2026.
| Feature | Strawberry Notes | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | ||
| Works on | iPad and iPhone. Android, Windows, and Mac coming soon | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, and web |
| Price | ||
| Price | $0.99 a month, $4.99 a year (7 days free), or $9.99 once | Free for personal use. Plus is $12 a month or $120 a year, free for students |
| Handwriting | ||
| Handwriting | Yes:Smooth, realistic-looking ink with pens, pencil, felt-tip marker, highlighter, study tape, shape recognition, and Scribble Erase | No:No |
| Page style | ||
| Page style | Yes:Infinite whiteboard, or a notebook that scrolls down or across, with covers, margins you can write in, infinite zoom, and templates | Typed pages and databases, with templates |
| Write on PDFs | ||
| Write on PDFs | Yes:Write on PDFs and scans, or read side by side | Partly:View PDFs, but you can't write on them |
| Typed notes | ||
| Typed notes | Yes:Text documents with headings, lists, tables, and pictures, plus text boxes right in your handwriting | Yes:Its specialty |
| Record audio | ||
| Record audio | No:Not yet | Partly:AI meeting notes, on Business plans only |
| Flashcards | ||
| Flashcards | Yes:Built in, with FSRS spaced repetition, image occlusion, and Anki import | No:Not built in. Templates and third-party tools only |
| AI study tools | ||
| AI study tools | Yes:Chat, summaries, study guides, games, and quizzes with matching, fill-in-the-blank, and ordering questions. Free starter credits, then pay only for what you use | Partly:Only a trial on Free and Plus. Full AI needs Business ($24 a month) |
| Tasks | ||
| Tasks | Yes:Tasks and reminders for every class, plus a calendar with your events, tasks, and flashcard reviews | Yes:Task databases, plus Notion Calendar |
| Organize and link | ||
| Organize and link | Yes:Subjects, folders, subnotes, tags, links, backlinks, and Sky View, a map of your notes | Yes:Links, backlinks, and nested pages. No map view |
| Works offline | ||
| Works offline | Yes:Yes. Everything saves on your device first, then syncs to your other devices through iCloud | Partly:Only pages you save for offline, in the apps |
| Where your notes live | ||
| Where your notes live | Yes:Your device, plus your own iCloud if you want it. Back up your whole library as one file anytime. We can't read your notes | Notion's servers. AI uses partners like OpenAI and Anthropic |
| Share and work together | ||
| Share and work together | Partly:Publish a note or a whole folder, or export it as a file, to share it. Live editing isn't here yet | Yes:Its specialty |
Why Strawberry Notes
Everything for school, in one simple app
Notes, flashcards, tasks, docs, and a calendar live together. Every subject, folder, and subnote gets its own notes, flashcards, and tasks, so nothing gets lost between apps.
- Notes
- Flashcards
- Tasks
- Docs
- Calendar
Notes that connect like your brain does
Link any note to any other, nest subnotes as deep as you like, and zoom in forever. Sky View shows it all as a map. You're free to think your way instead of going page by page.
Private by design
Your library lives on your devices, and we can't read it. iCloud sync is optional: keep everything on one device if you like, and export your whole library as one file anytime to back it up or bring it back in. Handwriting recognition runs on your device. AI only sees what you choose to share, and we don't store your chats.
Coming from Notion?
Lots of people use both. Keep your team projects in Notion, and do your handwritten notes, PDFs, and flashcards in Strawberry Notes. Want to bring something over? Export it from Notion as a PDF and import it to write on.
DownloadQuestions people ask
Not really. Notion is built for typed pages and doesn't have a pen or a drawing canvas. If you take notes with an Apple Pencil, Strawberry Notes gives you an infinite notebook and whiteboard, PDF markup, and flashcards in one app.
Not built in. People make flashcard-style templates with toggles or connect third-party tools, but there's no built-in spaced repetition. Strawberry Notes has flashcards scheduled with FSRS, image occlusion cards, and Anki import.
No. Students get Notion Plus free with a school email, but it only includes a trial of Notion AI. Full Notion AI needs the Business plan, at $24 a month billed monthly. Strawberry Notes gives new accounts free starter credits, then you pay only for the AI you use.
More comparisons
- vs Notability
- vs Goodnotes
- vs Obsidian
- vs RemNote
- vs Anki
- vs Quizlet
- vs Knowt
- vs OneNote
- vs Apple Notes
- vs Evernote
- vs Notewise
- vs Freenotes
- vs CollaNote
- vs Ahmni
Sources: Notion pricing, Notion AI FAQs, Notion offline pages, Notion templates. Prices are in US dollars and can change, so check before you buy.
Notion is a trademark of Notion Labs, Inc., and Strawberry Notes isn't affiliated with them. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.