Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Notion VS World Anvil

Compare Notion VS World Anvil and see what are their differences

Notion logo Notion

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

World Anvil logo World Anvil

World Anvil is a worldbuilding tool for Authors, Storytellers and worldbuilding lovers.
  • Notion Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • World Anvil Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

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.

World Anvil features and specs

  • Comprehensive World-Building Tools
    World Anvil offers a wide array of tools designed to aid world builders in organizing their settings. This includes features for creating maps, timelines, articles, and character profiles, which are essential for detailed world development.
  • Collaboration Features
    The platform allows multiple users to collaborate on a single world, making it easier for creative teams or groups of writers to work together, share ideas, and construct their narrative universe collectively.
  • Community Engagement
    World Anvil hosts a vibrant community of creators who can share their worlds, provide feedback, and participate in challenges and events. This fosters a supportive environment for inspiration and improvement.
  • Customizability
    Users can design their pages with various themes and layouts to match their world's aesthetics, ensuring their projects have a unique and personalized appearance.
  • Integration and Export Options
    The platform supports integration with other tools like Roll20 and allows content export, which is beneficial for users who wish to use their world in other formats or platforms.

Possible disadvantages of World Anvil

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and tools, new users might find World Anvil overwhelming initially. It can take some time to learn how to navigate and effectively use all available options.
  • Subscription Cost
    While World Anvil offers a free version, many of the more advanced features and tools are accessible only through subscriptions, which might not be affordable for everyone.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues, such as slow loading times and occasional bugs, which can disrupt the creative process.
  • Complex Interface
    The interface, though rich in functionality, can appear cluttered to some users, making it difficult to find specific features or tools quickly.
  • Limited Offline Access
    World Anvil primarily operates online, limiting functionality for users who wish to work offline or in areas with unreliable internet connectivity.

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)

World Anvil videos

Why Authors Love World Anvil

More videos:

  • Tutorial - World Anvil in 5 minutes! | Super quick World Anvil tutorial guide to getting started

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Notion and World Anvil)
Productivity
98 98%
2% 2
Note Taking
94 94%
6% 6
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Writing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

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

World Anvil Reviews

We have no reviews of World Anvil yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Notion seems to be a lot more popular than World Anvil. While we know about 441 links to Notion, we've tracked only 17 mentions of World Anvil. 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 / 8 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 / 9 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
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World Anvil mentions (17)

  • Need tool for world building.
    There's always World Anvil. They have a free member tier that includes decent basic tools/features. But I just checked the site, the lowest paid tier has a few improved features and its $54/yr USD plus they have a 50% coupon for the next day or so. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Was there a dataleak in worldanvil's database ?
    Always: when in doubt: change password asap and make sure to reset via the original site, not a link in your email. (worldanvil.com looks like worldanviI.com but it is not. Some fonts don't show any difference.). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Can one create different worlds with a single account?
    Hi there! To create a new world, go to the global dashboard (worldanvil.com, or click the World Anvil logo on the top left), go to the "Your Worlds" tab and click the create world button on the right. Freemen, as the other commenters said, can have two separate worlds. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I am trying to create a small writing group, anyone interested?
    Such an engine already exists at worldanvil.com, including a discord channel for just such an enterprise. I am a lifetime Sage there, so if you end up using it, let me know. I can help you get the project together. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Darandra's Thrill the Gambling Riverboat of Tirah the Shark
    Per sources from worldanvil.com, Darandra's Thrill is a keelboat which Tirah the Shark uses for smuggling. I adjusted Darandra's Thrill to fit my campaign and turned it into a gambling riverboat. This map represents the main gambling hall where visitors descent from the main deck. Despite being a gambling hall, the room emanates calm spiritual aura and many visitors chill here, smoking from waterpipes, listening... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Notion and World Anvil, 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.

Notebook.ai - A smart notebook that grows and collaborates with you

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.

Kanka.io - Kanka.

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.

Plottr - The #1 rated visual book planning and series bible software for professional and aspiring writers.