Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Notion VS Developer Diary

Compare Notion VS Developer Diary and see what are their differences

Notion logo Notion

All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.

Developer Diary logo Developer Diary

Become the best dev you can be with deep work
  • Notion Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • Developer Diary Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-05

Notion features and specs

  • All-in-One Workspace
    Notion combines note-taking, task management, databases, calendars, and collaboration features in a single platform, reducing the need for multiple tools.
  • Highly Customizable
    Users can tailor Notion to fit their specific workflow with customizable templates, pages, and databases, making it versatile for various use cases.
  • Collaboration Features
    Notion offers seamless collaboration with real-time editing, comments, mentions, and shared workspaces, enhancing teamwork and productivity.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Notion is available on multiple platforms, including web, desktop, and mobile, providing flexibility and accessibility from anywhere.
  • Integration Capability
    Notion supports integrations with various third-party applications like Google Drive, Slack, and Trello, allowing for a more interconnected workflow.

Possible disadvantages of Notion

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and customization options, new users might find Notion challenging to learn and navigate initially.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report that Notion can become slow or experience lag, especially with large databases and complex pages.
  • Offline Limitations
    While Notion offers some offline capabilities, its functionality is significantly reduced without an internet connection, which can be inconvenient for some users.
  • Pricing for Teams
    Though Notion offers a free version, its premium plans can be expensive for larger teams, which may be a constraint for startups or small businesses.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are potential privacy and data security concerns, especially for users handling sensitive information.

Developer Diary features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Notion videos

The Most Powerful Productivity App I Use - Notion

More videos:

  • Review - I switched to Notion for a week... Here's what happened!
  • Review - Notion is Truly an All-in-One Productivity Tool (App Review)

Developer Diary videos

Spirit of the North 2 | Developer Diary 1 - The Open World

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Notion and Developer Diary)
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Knowledge Base
0 0%
100% 100
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Personal Notes
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Notion and Developer Diary. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

Notion Reviews

  1. jk22
    · consultant at GFI ·
    Notion has helped in documenting our business

    It's been very very helpful to streamline different people on our team, especially remote workers to help them understand what's going on in our business without 100s of meetings.

    👍 Pros:    Ui is very attractive|Easy to use|Great for collaboration|Good customer service|Free to use
    👎 Cons:    Steep learning curve
  2. Ramesh Kumar
    · Product Manager at Aerial ·
    Extremely helpful- made life easier

    My remote-first start-up has eliminated more than 200+ hours of meetings and 1000s of mismanaged documents because our entire communication happens through Notion.

    👍 Pros:    Clean ui|File sharing|Modular
    👎 Cons:    Learning curve
  3. Boyd Richardson
    · Writer at SE ·

    As someone who's always on the lookout for the perfect productivity app, I was excited to try out Notion. It promises to be an all-in-one tool for everything from note-taking to project management to personal wikis.

    From the moment you open Notion, you can tell that it's different from other productivity apps. The interface is sleek and modern, and it's easy to navigate. The app is divided into pages, which can be customized with different templates to fit your needs. You can create to-do lists, databases, wikis, calendars, and more.

    One of the things I love about Notion is the ability to create relationships between pages. For example, you can create a database of your favorite books and then link to a page with your book reviews. Or you can create a to-do list and link to a page with notes about the task. This feature makes it easy to keep all of your information in one place and to connect related items.

    🏁 Competitors: Microsoft Loop
    👍 Pros:    Highly customizable|All in one|Collaboration|Cross platform
    👎 Cons:    Steep learning curve

Top 10 Productivity Apps for MacOS 2025
Okay, I know, I know. Notion is probably the most predictable pick for a productivity app list. But here’s the thing: It’s popular for a reason. Notion’s flexibility, customisation, and overall smooth user experience make it a standout, no matter how many times it pops up on productivity lists. Whether you’re organising tasks, taking notes, or creating databases, Notion lets...
Source: dev.to
Top 10 Notion Alternatives for 2025 and Why Teams Are Choosing Ledger
If you're looking for a Notion alternative that supports real, scalable teamwork, you're not alone. Whether you’ve outgrown Notion or are just exploring more robust, team-friendly platforms, here’s a breakdown of the top 10 alternatives in 2025—and why Ledger is becoming the go-to choice for modern teams.
How Tight-Knit Teams Get More Done with Innovative Project Management Tools
Notion: More than a task manager, it acts as a knowledge base. You can store guidelines, references, wikis, and to-do lists all under one roof.
Source: medium.com
11 Popular Knowledge Management Tools to Consider in 2025 
Notion AI (Optional Add-on) – $8 per user/month (billed annually). Available for all plans (including the free plan)
Source: knowmax.ai
11 Best Google Keeps Alternatives for 2024
Unlike other note-taking apps, Notion stands out for its endless customization. It’s like an all-in-one workspace structured by pages and blocks.
Source: upbase.io

Developer Diary Reviews

  1. Gave me more clarity in my thoughts

    As an experienced developer, I already use too many productivity/development tools and I was reluctant to try another tool. I was happy with taking notes in my good old paper diary. But the simplicity of Developer Diary attracted me.

    Feature-wise, it did what it promised without any distraction or clutter. I could take notes, reflect back and make better decisions with insights such as maker vs manager mode, deep work intervals, etc. The quick global shortcut (Cmd+Shift+I) to bring the focus on diary is so underrated, it wouldn't have used it so consistently without it. It solved the common problem I had with other productivity tools - I start to use them with great motivation but leave them in between because they feel like a chore after a while. But the shortcut and autostart feature made sure that not only I dump my thoughts in the diary but also reflect back on them regularly without any annoying notifications. That's what made me stick around for the first two week and then it became an effortless habit.

    The overall impact of using the Developer Diary is enlightening. I am less anxiety now, I have more clarity in my thoughts, and I get more time for deep work. Being able to follow my coding plans more consistently with less distractions helped me solve hard coding problems.

    👍 Pros:    Works offline|Simple and clear interface|Shortcuts|Markdown support|Privacy concisous|No learning curve
    👎 Cons:    No mobile app atm|Getting in the habit of using the app for the first two week is hard

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Notion seems to be a lot more popular than Developer Diary. While we know about 441 links to Notion, we've tracked only 6 mentions of Developer Diary. 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.

Notion mentions (441)

  • Cool SHIT you can do with docker
    Two of the most popular open source note taking app are affine (basically notion but open source) and obsidian (which stores notes in markdown). - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2024)
    Notion | https://notion.so | Android Engineer | SF | hybrid (in office 2x a week) | Full time
      Level: Mid/Mid+ (4-6yrs experience).
    - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Karyam: Simples everyday writing app
    Advanced Notion and Google Doc writing editor. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • My blog post workflow
    I manage my non-work and work-adjacent tasks in Notion. Whenever I have an idea, regardless of how big or small or silly or achievable it is, I'll add it to Notion, and use labels to categorise it by type of output (e.g. blog, silly project, website update). Today I wanted to write a short post for my site. I clicked on the filtered blog post view, and selected this one (because I hoped it would be a quick one!). - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • 6 AI tools that feels illegal to know🤖
    Notion.so redefines workspaces. With its intelligent organization and collaboration features, it's more than a productivity tool—it's a digital haven. Discover the art of streamlined and efficient teamwork. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

Developer Diary mentions (6)

  • Self hosted journal app (like Sol Journal)?
    Developer Diary has all these features - markdown support, offline, minimalist. Desktop apps available for Linux, macOS, Windows. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Looking for a simple wiki (web, not desktop) that stores backend as markdown files?
    You can use Developer Diary to stores markdown text in flat text files. Can you share more about your use case? Source: almost 3 years ago
  • What should you do if you're extremely bad at time management?
    - Plan your day ahead of time, use productivity apps like Developer Diary to analyze how you spend your time on laptop, use apps like Forest App to block other apps when you are working on phone. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Are there any innovative productivity apps that try a unique approach (beyond a basic checklist) or use psychology to your advantage?
    You should try Developer Diary . It is a journaling app with mark-down support that gives you productivity analysis after your Deep Work session ends. I love it ! Source: about 3 years ago
  • "Ooo I want to do this right now, but first let me just do this"
    Use [Developer Diary](https://flow.invidelabs.com/) to stay productive, it is a mark-down supporting journaling app that also gives you productivity analysis after using **Deep Work Mode**. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Notion and Developer Diary, you can also consider the following products

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.

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

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.

Raneto - Open source, flat-file Knowledgebase platform that uses static Markdown files

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Gollum - Gollum is a simple wiki system built on top of Git