Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Basecamp VS Focused Notion

Compare Basecamp VS Focused Notion and see what are their differences

Basecamp logo Basecamp

A simple and elegant project management system.

Focused Notion logo Focused Notion

A productivity system built on Notion that helps you plan, prioritize and achieve your by becoming organized, productive and efficient without stress and anxiety.
  • Basecamp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-05-20
  • Focused Notion Focused Productivity System
    Focused Productivity System //
    2024-08-18
  • Focused Notion Today Task Management
    Today Task Management //
    2024-08-18
  • Focused Notion Task Planner
    Task Planner //
    2024-08-18
  • Focused Notion Goal
    Goal //
    2024-08-18
  • Focused Notion Life Vision
    Life Vision //
    2024-08-18
  • Focused Notion Notebook
    Notebook //
    2024-08-18
  • Focused Notion Meetings
    Meetings //
    2024-08-18

Focused was created to help people achieve their goals and lead more organized, fulfilling lives. Drawing on my personal experiences and lessons on goal achievement, perseverance, and organization, I used my expertise in Notion to develop a solution that aims to help people who feel stuck or lost enhance their productivity, become more organised and ultimately achieve their goals. Focused combines my personal experiences with many of the world leading productivity frameworks and methodologies to help people to become more successful and sustainably productive long-term.

Many have great ideas that never materialize due to uncertainties about starting and maintaining momentum. Focused addresses this by being more than a mere tool for tasks, organization, or tracking. It's a comprehensive system designed for long-term productivity by improving emotional and physical well-being, ensuring all elements work in harmony.

The question isn’t just about motivation but understanding and tackling the underlying issues. While Focused isn’t a cure-all, it offers a structured approach to identifying and resolving these barriers, leading to improved efficiency and productivity.

I’m curious about the productivity and organization challenges you face, and for Focused users, how it has helped you overcome these hurdles.

Basecamp

$ Details
paid Free Trial $99.0 / Monthly (flat price)
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Focused Notion

$ Details
-
Platforms
Notion
Release Date
2024 August
Startup details
Country
Australia
State
QLD
City
Brisbane
Founder(s)
Luca
Employees
1 - 9

Basecamp features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Basecamp features an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface that simplifies project management for all team members, even those with minimal technical expertise.
  • Centralized Communication
    The platform consolidates various forms of communication (messages, discussions, and check-ins) in one place, ensuring that all team members stay on the same page.
  • Task Management
    Basecamp provides robust task management features, including to-do lists, deadlines, and automatic check-ins to help teams track progress and ensure timely completion of work.
  • Document and File Storage
    Offers integrated document and file storage, making it easy to share, organize, and access important project files without needing additional tools.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    With apps for desktop, iOS, and Android, Basecamp can be accessed from various devices, allowing team members to stay connected and productive regardless of their location.
  • Flat Pricing
    Offers a simple, flat-rate pricing model which can be more cost-effective for larger teams, as there are no per-user fees.

Possible disadvantages of Basecamp

  • Limited Customization
    Basecamp's design and features are relatively rigid, which can be limiting for teams that require more customization options for different projects.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    While it covers basic project management needs well, Basecamp lacks some advanced features such as Gantt charts, advanced reporting, and time tracking which are available in other project management tools.
  • No Hierarchical Task Structuring
    Does not support sub-tasks within tasks, which can be a limitation for complex projects that need detailed task breakdowns.
  • Limited Integration Options
    Compared to other tools, Basecamp has fewer integrations with third-party apps and services, which can be a drawback for teams relying on a diverse tech stack.
  • Notification Overload
    Users may experience too many notifications, especially in larger teams or projects, which can lead to important updates being missed or ignored.
  • Flat Pricing
    While flat pricing can be a pro for large teams, it can be less cost-effective for smaller teams or individual users, as they might end up paying for capacity they don't use.

Focused Notion features and specs

  • Productivity
    Define your life vision using the pre-built questionnaire. Then create your Life Statement which is the north star for your life. Define long-term (goals), medium (projects) and short-term (milestones) objectives. Gamify your productivity by tracking your progress every time you complete a task. Use rewards to boost your motivation.
  • Tracking
    Sustainable productivity through a health lifestyle. Use Journals to process your emotions, see the positives and remove subjectivity of your day. Habit tracking for becoming health spirit, soul and body which is required for peak productivity to achieve your goals. Rewards for gamification of your goals and ultra motivation. Reviews to refresh your inspiration, track your progress and adjust your direction if necessary.
  • Knowledge
    Centrally store all your information in a single database. Organize it by the pillars of your life (notebooks). Further allocate it to specific topics (tags). Enhance your thinking by finding new connections and ideas between your information using notebooks and tags. Use the 11built in templates to create content that is easy to read, looks good and is consistent. Use the inbox to capture now, sort later.

Basecamp videos

Basecamp 3 - Intro & Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Basecamp Project Management Review
  • Review - Campfire Pro Review | Apps for Writers
  • Review - 5 Reasons Why I Love Basecamp
  • Review - Asana vs. Basecamp

Focused Notion videos

Focused - Productivity System to achieve your life goals.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Basecamp and Focused Notion)
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
98 98%
2% 2
Task Management
99 99%
1% 1
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing Basecamp and Focused Notion.

What makes your product unique?

Focused Notion's answer:

I've tried many productivity apps, and while they've mostly been helpful, they often fall short because they only focus on a single niche. For example task management apps, they won't guide you on whether the tasks you are completing are really moving you towards your goals, or they won't help you to be organized, or even help you avoid burnout. They just get you to do more tasks, which is limiting and why many people don't end up finding long-term success. The same applies to time tracking, note-taking, or habit tracking apps, they're great in their specific area but not for overall success.

The only way to use apps effectively for long-term success is to spend a lot of time working out what works for you, which apps suit your system and then configuring each app for that system. This is very time consuming, complicated and expensive, especially as you will need to try many apps before you find the ones that suit you best.

Focused solves this. It's an all-in-one system designed to work across all aspects of your life, especially in productivity, knowledge, and tracking. It aims for long-term, sustainable success, not just short-term fixes. Built on Notion, Focused offers unparalleled customization. You can adjust everything to fit your needs, from the homepage layout to adding new views or templates. This is something that just isn't possible with an app, customizations are often very limited if any.

Focused offers significant advantages over traditional apps. In addition to the above, there's no subscription fee, your data remains private and secure, and you have complete productivity system that works holistically across your life to help you achieve success.

What's the story behind your product?

Focused Notion's answer:

I have been obsessed with productivity and organization for many years, since I my early 20s. Mainly due to necessity as I first was doing a dual degree while working in IT full-time, then I moved to working full-time and running my own side business with my wife + a fairly successful blog; and now full-time work and Focused + the side business.

So out of that, I have spent many, many hours reading books, learning different techniques and implementing them in my life to see how they work. I also got onboard with Notion very early on (moved from Evernote), so I built many of the very early iterations of Focused for myself before I even thought I could create something for others.

I think that is why I feel Focused is different from other productivity apps and even Notion templates (although I don't consider myself as a template at all, more of a productivity system). The value I add is the experience and the trials and tribulations of learning, implementing and using all of these different systems. So I know the pitfalls, I know what works and what doesn't.

So Focused is not just a tool, it also has all of the documentation and life coaching to go along with it. Tips, tricks, ideas to help people overcome the pitfalls I did. The biggest one which is common for the majority of people and which is a common thread throughout my documentation is that of overcoming guilt about not doing enough, because although that can be a short-term productivity booster it certainly isn't a long-term one. It is actually a productivity killer. Which why a lot of people start with a productivity tool or framework and get a short-term boost in productivity but ultimately don't keep it going so they never actually achieve what they are trying to achieve. This is the main reason I built Focused - for those people.

The other reason is because due to my 9-5 and the stress at work, especially during COVID, I ended up with a breakdown and burnout. I had to take time of work and the effects of that stress and burnout still haunt me today at times. It has been a massive journey of learning that productivity isn't just about doing more, it is about consistency. It is about processing emotions, having a healthy lifestyle and about learning when to work and when to rest. Just do do do isn't the answer. As a result of this, I major heavily on this in Focused, because the biggest killer of productivity is stress, anxiety and burnout. All things that can be avoided if the right tools and techniques are in place. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I did, and so that is the other major reason why I built Focused.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Focused Notion's answer:

Notion, plus the following productivity frameworks:

  • The One Thing
  • Getting Things Done
  • Building a Second Brain
  • Atomic Habits
  • Essentialism
  • Daily Journaling
  • Productive Gaming
  • Gamify
  • Personal SWOT Analysis
  • GEM

Focused is designed around my many years of experience using and applying many of the world's leading productivity frameworks. It isn’t just something that has been cobbled together, its based on actual real-life experience FIRST, making Focused a productivity system that actually works.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Basecamp and Focused Notion

Basecamp Reviews

  1. Boyd Richardson
    · Writer at SE ·

    As a writer, I've been using Basecamp for a few years now and I must say, it has been a game-changer for me. Basecamp is a cloud-based project management tool that offers a suite of features to help teams collaborate efficiently and effectively.

    I started using Basecamp as a project management tool to manage my writing projects. Initially, I found it a bit overwhelming, but with time I got used to the interface and the features. Basecamp has a clean and intuitive design that makes it easy to use. The dashboard is well-organized and shows all the active projects and tasks at a glance. Basecamp has a variety of features that make it easy to manage tasks, track progress, communicate with team members, and share files.

    🏁 Competitors: Trello
    👍 Pros:    Easy to use|Cost-efficient|Highly customizable
    👎 Cons:    Limited integrations|No time tracking|Limited report

Top 10 Notion Alternatives for 2025 and Why Teams Are Choosing Ledger
Basecamp offers a clean interface and basic tools for communication and task management. It’s great for small teams who want to keep things low-friction, but its simplicity can become a limitation for teams that need deeper structure, real-time collaboration, or scalable workflows.
The Top 7 ClickUp Alternatives You Need to Know in 2025
Benefits:Basecamp's simplicity makes it ideal for startups or small businesses looking for an all-in-one solution without the complexity of larger platforms.
25 Best Asana Alternatives & Competitors for Project Management in 2024
Basecamp is a project management software helping remote teams organize tasks, track project progress, and collaborate over tasks. The tool aims to bring task management and project team communication under one tent with features like to-do lists and message boards.
Source: clickup.com
The 10 best Asana alternatives in 2024
While switching between views and filtering for individual tasks is a little more complex than in Asana, Basecamp makes it easy to monitor project progress at a high level. The Move the Needle feature visualizes project status as a color-coded gauge showing whether the project is on track, at risk, or a concern. So if you're looking for a simple tool that prioritizes basic...
Source: zapier.com
20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
Basecamp is a project management tool, but it does feature note-taking and task management. All your projects (notes in this case) are housed under one dashboard where you can view, edit, rearrange and archive notes as needed.
Source: clickup.com

Focused Notion Reviews

We have no reviews of Focused Notion yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Basecamp seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 37 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Basecamp mentions (37)

  • How I Achieved 10x Productivity at Remote Work
    Remote work is an established term these days, but back in the days i.e. Prior to COVID or a few more years back, this term was quite alien in the developer community. Even though there were organizations like Basecamp which were working remotely for more than 20 years, the developer ecosystem was not built around the concept of working remotely or to put it in simple words, separately from your colleagues. Just... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • The 35 CSS properties you must know to do 80% of the work
    It's interesting, I've sampled basecamp.com and the number was 35 too, very similar variables, taking into consideration Basecamp is Older than Hey and heavily flex-box oriented. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Work From Home or the Office: Is It a Problem?
    David Heinemeier Hansson, also known as DHH, may not be a familiar name to you, but it's highly likely that you have come across either the product or the framework he created: Basecamp and Ruby on Rails. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • open discussion
    (Basecamp: Project management software, online collaboration) Trusted by millions, Basecamp puts everything you need to get work done in one place. It's the calm, organized way to manage projects, work with clients, ... Source: about 2 years ago
  • New to project management. Advice?
    I think you want to look at Basecamp and even Slack may work for you. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Focused Notion mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Focused Notion yet. Tracking of Focused Notion recommendations started around Aug 2024.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Basecamp and Focused Notion, you can also consider the following products

Asana - Asana project management is an effort to re-imagine how we work together, through modern productivity software. Fast and versatile, Asana helps individuals and groups get more done.

Second Brain - Capture & organize everything in Notion.

Wrike - Wrike is a flexible, scalable, and easy-to-use collaborative work management software that helps high-performance teams organize and accomplish their work. Try it now.

Taskos - Taskos To Do List is the simplest and most intuitive to-do list application for android.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

promptpanda - Secure AI Prompt Management for Teams.