Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

StepZen VS Notion

Compare StepZen VS Notion and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

StepZen logo StepZen

A low code way to create GraphQL APIs for any backend—REST, SQL, NoSQL, SOAP/XML. Deploy a single or federated graph to StepZen's cloud and run with built-in parallel execution, security for APIs and data, and performance & reliability optimizations.

Notion logo Notion

All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.
  • StepZen Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-24

StepZen provides a unique low code approach to creating GraphQL APIs for any data source—REST, SQL, NoSQL, SOAP/XML, and GraphQL. With one command, you can specify your backend; StepZen introspects it and generates the schema for you. Then, with a few lines of code and powerful directives (@rest, @dbquery), you can quickly customize a schema—or write one from scratch. Another directive (@materializer) lets you stitch graphs together, seamlessly scaling GraphQL across teams and domains. In addition, by using @materializer, you avoid managing concerns across subgraphs, writing stubs of types, and other complexities.

Whether you deploy a single graph or a federated graph-of-graphs, with one command, you deploy it to StepZen's highly available cloud. Automatic parallelized execution, security and control of your APIs and data, and performance and reliability optimizations are built-in. So we keep your GraphQL infrastructure secure and stable so you can focus on your business.

  • Notion Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

StepZen features and specs

  • Ease of Integration
    StepZen simplifies the process of integrating various APIs by allowing developers to create GraphQL endpoints with minimal configuration.
  • GraphQL Optimization
    StepZen automatically optimizes GraphQL queries, improving performance by minimizing over-fetching and under-fetching of data.
  • Developer Experience
    The platform offers a robust set of tools and an intuitive interface, enhancing the overall developer experience when building and deploying APIs.
  • Unified Data Layer
    StepZen enables the creation of a unified data layer, making it easier to aggregate and manage data from multiple sources.
  • Customization
    With StepZen, developers can customize their GraphQL endpoints to cater to specific use cases and business requirements.

Possible disadvantages of StepZen

  • Learning Curve
    Although it's designed to be user-friendly, new users might encounter a learning curve when getting acquainted with the tool's features and capabilities.
  • Cost
    Depending on the scale and number of integrations, using StepZen might incur additional costs that need to be justified against its benefits.
  • Limited Offline Support
    Since StepZen is primarily a cloud-based solution, it may have limited capabilities when it comes to offline or local development environments.
  • Dependency on External Service
    Relying on StepZen could make applications dependent on an external service, which may impact control over the development process and data handling.

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.

StepZen videos

Build an API With The StepZen GraphQL Studio (API Workshop)

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Learn How To Query Any HarperDB Database With GraphQL Using StepZen

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)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to StepZen and Notion)
GraphQL
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
APIs
100 100%
0% 0
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using StepZen and Notion. 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 StepZen and Notion

StepZen Reviews

We have no reviews of StepZen yet.
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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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Notion seems to be a lot more popular than StepZen. While we know about 441 links to Notion, we've tracked only 10 mentions of StepZen. 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.

StepZen mentions (10)

  • Automatically Generate REST and GraphQL APIs From Your Database
    StepZen and AWS AppSync excel at generating GraphQL APIs for MySQL and NoSQL databases. StepZen simplifies the process of combining multiple data sources, while AppSync provides smooth integration with AWS services and real-time data capabilities. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Query Real-time Data With GraphQL And Streaming Database
    StepZen is a platform to build and deploy GraphQL APIs that integrates and aggregate data from various sources. In the demo section, I will show how to build a GraphQL API in declarative code using StepZen. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Using SingleStoreDB, WebAssembly and GraphQL
    The final step is to use GraphQL. We'll create a free account on StepZen. Once logged-in, we can access the Account, Admin Key and API Key. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • How to use federation with a headless CMS?
    Have a look at https://stepzen.com, which allows you to federate any data source no matter the framework or service used to create it. It has a generous free tier. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Apollo Server v4 Breaking Changes. Time to move away?
    When moving away from Apollo Server, and you're looking for a replacement built with JavaScript or TypeScript, let me give you some options. If you want to keep building your GraphQL API schema first, you might want to consider Mercurius (which relies on Fastify) or GraphQL Yoga. If you're going to build your GraphQL API code or resolver first, have a look at TypeGraphQL or Nexus. Alternatively, there are great... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

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 / about 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

What are some alternatives?

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

Hasura - Hasura is an open platform to build scalable app backends, offering a built-in database, search, user-management and more.

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.

OneGraph - OneGraph is a GraphQL service that wraps and connects the internet's SaaS APIs. Build integrations to Stripe, Intercom, Salesforce, Zendesk, GMail, and more 10-100x faster with OneGraph.

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.

Graphweaver - Turn multiple data sources into a single GraphQL API

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.