Disambiguate Amplenote vs Notion

How does Amplenote (launched 2019) compare to Notion (launched 2016) over 289 features that NoteApps indexes? We have found & documented 210 features in Amplenote vs 192 features in Notion. A complete accounting of their feature availability is provided below.

If you would like to compare other apps, try our app comparison tool. If you would like to see screenshots for each feature, click the link below each app for "Full details & screenshots."

Amplenote has 210 cataloged features Notion has 192 cataloged features Difficulty of switching between apps: Lots in common between these apps, switching between them shouldn't be too bad if a note importer is available 145 overlapping features offered by both Want some help switching apps?
Amplenote advantages 14 Tasks & Scheduling (Calendar) features that Notion lacks 9 Search & Navigation features that Notion lacks 6 Offline features that Notion lacks 6 Performance Benchmarks features that Notion lacks 4 Encryption/Security features that Notion lacks Notion advantages 8 Formatting Supported features that Amplenote lacks 7 Import/Export and Data Backups features that Amplenote lacks 6 Tables features that Amplenote lacks 5 Search & Navigation features that Amplenote lacks 5 Content Uploads & Embeds features that Amplenote lacks	Amplenote Launched 2019 Full details & screenshots	Notion Launched 2016 Full details & screenshots
Appearance Features pertaining to how the app comports itself visually
Configurable panes It is possible to control how many strips of navigation are shown
Daily notes The app allows note content to be created & viewed with minimal formatting and today's date as the default note title
Dark mode Display option where the editor shows black background with white text.
Focus mode A "distraction-free" option where all sidebars are hidden and the editor is in full screen view
Link previews When cursor is within link text, a popup shows a visualization of the link destination
Multiple editing panes A mechanism is provided to have more than one note concurrently open for editing in a separate viewing window contained within the application
Themes Different sets of colors can be chosen to alter the appearance of the app window
Themes => Custom CSS Custom CSS can be included by the note editor to effect a specific theme via CSS
WYSIWYG view Editor can show content exactly as it will be exported/printed without requiring keyboard commands
Content Uploads & Embeds What kind of content can be uploaded or inserted into notes?
Arbitrary file An arbitrary file of any type can be added to a note
Audio Upload an audio file as a note attachment
Excel Upload a spreadsheet file (such as .xls, .csv) as a note attachment
Google Docs A Google Doc file can be embedded within a note
Google Sheets A Google Sheets file can be embedded within a note
Image Upload an image (such as jpeg, png, gif) as a note attachment
Image => Can be cropped The note app provides editing tools that allow an image in a note to be cropped (e.g., to remove the left half of it)
Image => Can be resized The note app allows the edges of the picture to get dragged so it becomes larger or smaller
Image => OCR image text in full text search Words in the image are added to full text search, so the note will show up in search results that contain a word from within the image
Image => Text extracted to note Text or handwriting from within an image can be inserted into the note body
Image library App provides a library of ready-to-use images
PDF Upload a PDF file as a note attachment
PDF => Can be annotated Content of the PDF can be marked up inside the note, rather than using an external editor
PDF => Can be viewed from within note Content of the PDF can be viewed inside the note, rather than clicking on PDF and having it open in an external PDF viewer
PDF => Content indexed in search The title and body of the PDF are automatically indexed in search
Twitter (tweet) embed Interactive preview of a Tweet will be displayed, including any rich content
Video Upload a video file as a note attachment
Word Upload a Word document (such as .doc, .rtf) as a note attachment
YouTube embed Playing and interacting with YouTube videos is possible from within a note
Customer-centric Features that pertain to how the app interfaces with its customers
Chat support available Company offers on-site real time chat support, or a chat server in which the company participates
Community chat available There is a dedicated venue such as Discord where users can chat about the product in real time
Community forum or knowledge base The company has a specified URL at which users can discuss the product and ask questions in a format where answers can be upvoted to pinpoint the best one
Feature voting There exists a publicly accessible site upon which users can upvote features they want to see implemented
Perpetual free version The company offers a version of the product that can be used indefinitely at no cost
Regular product updates Company has averaged at least one blog post or newsletter per month over the past year that details recent feature updates
Roadmap The company provides a list of the app's upcoming and newly added features for public consumption
Encryption/Security What measures are taken to ensure customer data remains private, even to employees of the companies themselves?
2FA available Can enable two-factor authentication from within the app (not only via third parties) to protect account access
Client-side encryption Note data can be encrypted before leaving the user's device such that the decryption key is not shared with the note app provider (sometimes referred to as "end-to-end encryption")
Client-side encryption => Attachments encrypted client-side
Client-side encryption => Client-side encryption enabled by default for all notes
Encrypted at rest/server-side encryption Documented claim that all note data is encrypted at rest, on the server
Encrypted at rest/server-side encryption => Attachments encrypted at rest
Explicit security policy An explicit policy describes how security is implemented, and what access employees have to data.
Explicit security policy => Database access insufficient to decrypt secure note content Note content can be created such that even a user who gained access to the note app's cloud database (employee or intruder) couldn't decrypt content (i.e., they couldn't obtain a usable decryption key even if possessing the database contents)
Explicit security policy => Policy that employees will not read note content A documented claim exists that note content will not be accessed by employees
Local-only/unsynchronized notes Notes can exist purely on the local file system of the device, without syncing
Password-protect notes A note or block can have a password applied to hide it
Formatting Supported What options are available for formatting text and related content in a note?
Audio playback Audio can be placed in a note with embedded controls to start and stop the audio
Block quote
Bold
Bullet list
Bullet list => Nested bullet list
Bullet list => Nested bullet list => Foldable list Bullet items can be "folded," "collapsed" or "contracted" such that their nested content is hidden from view
Clear formatting There is a hot key or icon to remove all text formatting currently applied
Code Can text be formatted as code?
Code => Auto-indented code As text is written in the code block, the level of indentation survives an "enter" press
Code => Code highlighting Does text formatted as code get syntax highlighting?
Code => Code highlighting => Language-specific code highlighting Multiple languages can be selected to define the code syntax highlighting
Colored text Excluding text that gets colored as a side effect of some other formatting feature listed (e.g., highlight)
Colored text => Background coloring There exists a means to recolor the background behind specific text in more than one color
Draggable text blocks Paragraphs of text can be dragged to any horizontal or vertical coordinate within the note viewing area
Drawing/Handwriting App provides a built-in means by which to capture user drawings, sketches, or handwriting
Drawing/Handwriting => Handwriting to text Drawn content from within the app can be translated into text
Foldable headers ("Outline mode") Note body text can be "collapsed," "contracted," "folded" or otherwise hidden under its (non-bullet list) header
Font size Can font size be explicitly set? I.e., not just through setting it as a header
Footnotes Text or images can be linked from a particular string of text in the note (not just URLs)
Highlight
Images
Images => Text can wrap around image One or more lines of text can be placed on the same line as an image
Indent Text can be indented (without bullets, block quote, or other incidental features)
Italic
LaTeX/KaTeX Tex extensions commonly used for expressing mathematics
Line divider A horizontal rule that can delineate between text blocks
Literal A monospace font with its own background color can be invoked without breaking a line. Sometimes referred to as "inline code"
Markdown All common markdown formatting is recognized by the note editor
Numbered list
Numbered list => Nested (indented) numbered list
Strikethrough
Superscript & subscript
Table of contents A set of links to each header in the note can be inserted into the note
Text alignment Text can be explicitly designated as "center"-aligned, "right"-aligned or "justified"
Transclusion A note can preview content embedded from another note in the same pane as the note itself
Transclusion => Block-level transclusion A note can preview a specific block/section embedded from within another note or section.
Transclusion => Editable transclusion A note can preview and edit content embedded from within another note or section.
Typeface/font face User can choose an explicit font (not just a theme) to restyle text
Underline
Video Videos can be placed in the body of a note, with controls to start and stop the video
Visible formatting bar A visible text formatting bar is automatically shown, or can be made consistently visible without a mouse hover
h1/h2/h3 Header formatting
Import/Export and Data Backups What features are provided for interoperability between apps? How much lock-in is there?
Delete account An entire account can be deleted (including all notes and personal data) without emailing the company
Delete all notes
Export note to email
Export to CSV
Export to HTML
Export to PDF
Export: Hierarchy Hierarchy is exported in a way that other apps can import
Export: Images When an export is initiated, the downloadable package includes image files for each image uploaded to the user's notebook
Export: Note links Links between notes are preserved upon export
Exports to markdown
Import from CSV
Import from Evernote
Import from HTML
Import from Trello
Import from markdown
Import from markdown => Import from Roam Note content can be imported from Roam while preserving all linked content
Syncs to cloud automatically App automatically syncs note & image data to the cloud without implementing extensions, and without signing up for a secondary account on a storage provider
Trash Note app offers ability to restore deleted notes
Version history
Version history => Restore from past version
Integrations/Extensibility What features does the note provider offer in terms of third-party integrations and utilities adjacent to the note content itself?
AI writing assistant Can suggest how to revise selected text using AI
API offered A public API is available to fetch and write note content
Audio recorder It is possible to record and store audio within the app
Calculations (evaluated content) A syntax exists to make numeric or date calculations within the app
Calculations (evaluated content) => Date/time Date and time can be evaluated and inserted into a note
Calculations (evaluated content) => Math calculator Addition, subtraction and multiplication is possible within an evaluated expression
Configurable key bindings Hotkeys can be remapped from their default values
Create note by drag-and-dropping a file File can be drag-and-dropped into app to create a note, or a file can be dragged into an import directory to become a note
Create note from email Emails can be forwarded to an email address that will create a new note w/ the email content, or append the email content to an existing note
Diagram view Supports syntax allowing diagrams and charts (Mermaid, etc) to be inserted into a note body
External service callbacks It's possible to setup callbacks to external services when a note changes
Graph view Linked notes can be viewed as a graph
Hyperlink preview A thumbnail image of an embedded url is shown
IFTTT integration The app can be connected to https://ifttt.com/
Kanban Board
Note templates Pre-configured content (instructions, tasks, etc) can be duplicated from an existing source note
Note templates => Template gallery A browsable collection of pre-existing sample notes (e.g., "weekly budget") that can be copied into one's own notebook
Open source Public access is available to the source code necessary to build/modify this app
Plugin/extension system The app allows users to develop and package extended app functionality. A directory is provided to help users browse and install plugins.
Spaced repetition An algorithm to generate flashcards from note content is offered
Timeline view View project timelines using a Gantt chart
Word count Word count and character count are provided for a note
Word count => Selectable count The user can select part of a note or task and get a word+character count for just that selection.
Zapier integration The app can be connected to Zapier
Login Providers Which login types are supported?
Apple
Google
Mobile/Tablet Features specific to the mobile experience
"Note view" widget (Android) Note content can be viewed from outside the app via native Android widget.
"Note view" widget (iOS) Note content can be viewed from outside the app via native iOS widget.
"Task view" widget (Android) Task content can be viewed from outside the app via native Android widget.
"Task view" widget (iOS) Task content can be viewed from outside the app via native iOS widget.
Search widget (Android)
Search widget (iOS)
Search within note
Share Content (Android) When picking the "Share with..." option from an Android app, the app exposes a means for sending content to the app.
Share Content (iOS) When picking the "Share with..." option from an iOS app, the app exposes a means for sending content to the app.
Offline How well can the app function without internet access?
Attachments Attachments can be inserted into a note and viewed within the note when offline, after starting the app whilst disconnected from the Internet
Full text search Searching for text inside notes works when offline, after starting the app whilst disconnected from the Internet
Limited Offline Allows for offline use only if you've opened the app before going offline
Note read access Any note can be read when offline, after starting the app whilst disconnected from the Internet
Note write access Note content can be created or updated when offline, after starting the app whilst disconnected from the Internet
Password-protected content Password-protected notes can be read/modified when offline, after starting the app whilst disconnected from the Internet
Quick open search Quick-searching for notes works when offline, after starting the app whilst disconnected from the Internet
Performance Benchmarks How fast is it? How we calculate this
Android => Large-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 4 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a large- sized note in the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
Android => Open app from closed state, add a one-word task in <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, add a one-word task to first available note
Android => Open app from closed state, cursor visible in first available note <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, see cursor visible in first available note
Android => Search for a word, open first search result in <= 5 seconds Search for a word, see new note after opening first search result
Android => Small-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 3 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a small-sized note with the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
Web => Large-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 4 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a large- sized note in the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
Web => Open app from closed state, add a one-word task in <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, add a one-word task to first available note
Web => Open app from closed state, cursor visible in first available note <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, see cursor visible in first available note
Web => Search for a word, open first search result in <= 5 seconds Search for a word, see new note after opening first search result
Web => Small-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 3 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a small-sized note with the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
Windows app => Large-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 4 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a large- sized note in the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
Windows app => Open app from closed state, add a one-word task in <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, add a one-word task to first available note
Windows app => Open app from closed state, cursor visible in first available note <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, see cursor visible in first available note
Windows app => Search for a word, open first search result in <= 5 seconds Search for a word, see new note after opening first search result
Windows app => Small-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 3 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a small-sized note with the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
iOS => Large-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 4 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a large- sized note in the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
iOS => Open app from closed state, add a one-word task in <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, add a one-word task to first available note
iOS => Open app from closed state, cursor visible in first available note <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, see cursor visible in first available note
iOS => Search for a word, open first search result in <= 5 seconds Search for a word, see new note after opening first search result
iOS => Small-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 3 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a small-sized note with the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
macOS app => Large-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 4 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a large- sized note in the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
macOS app => Open app from closed state, add a one-word task in <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, add a one-word task to first available note
macOS app => Open app from closed state, cursor visible in first available note <= 5 seconds Open up app from completely closed state, see cursor visible in first available note
macOS app => Search for a word, open first search result in <= 5 seconds Search for a word, see new note after opening first search result
macOS app => Small-sized note lookup, cursor visible in <= 3 seconds New note opens after looking up title of a small-sized note with the fastest available "note opening" mechanism
Platforms Which platforms are officially supported?
Android There is an Android app available for download in the Play store
Linux Includes web apps that can be installed via PWA or Electron
Web App is available via web browser
Windows Includes web apps that can be installed via PWA or Electron
Windows => Native app An installable app is available that isn't a Progressive Web App or Electron
iOS There is an iOS app available for download in the App Store
iOS => iPad native app An iPad app (separate from iOS app) has been published to App Store
macOS Includes web apps that can be installed via PWA or Electron
macOS => Native app An installable app is available that isn't a Progressive Web App or Electron
Search & Navigation What options are there for navigating around the app and finding the note you're after?
Archived section Archived notes can be filtered & viewed
Auto-suggest tags, directory, or category When entering text into the search field, matching hierarchical tags/directories are offered to help the user filter note content
Backlinks (Bi-directional links) For any given note, the app provides a way to browse all other notes that contain links pointing to it.
Backlinks (Bi-directional links) => Filter backlinks It's possible to filter backlinked content, whether by tag, note title, or other means
Backlinks (Bi-directional links) => Sortable
Backlinks (Bi-directional links) => Unlinked reference promotion UX is provided to find references to a note (aka mentions of the note title) and quickly convert them into links
Boolean operators The three keyword operators (AND, NOT, OR) limit or expand search results
Cross-note linking It's possible to create a link from one note to another note
Full text search A list of all notes containing a word or phrase can be produced
Full text search => Allow quoted/literal searches
Full text search => Filter on author
Full text search => Filter on date range
Full text search => Filter on hierarchy Using whatever mechanism the app provides to organize notes (e.g., tags, folders), can that mechanism be used as a full text search filter?
Full text search => Sort by date Search results can be sorted by the note's date of creation
Inline tags It's possible to assign a hierarchy identifier (such as a tag) to a line of text, such that the line (not the note itself) can be discovered when browsing the note hierarchy
Keyboard shortcuts reference A menu to view available keyboard shortcuts is located within the app
Link to content in note Means provided to link to specific content in another note (be it a heading, paragraph, task, or bullet)
Lookup notes to link out A dialog is provided to look up other notes as link targets while creating a new link in a note
Lookup notes to link out => Link to content within notes A dialog is provided to look up other specific headers/blocks as link targets while creating a new link in a note.
Lookup notes to link out => Link to content within notes => Global block linking A dialog is provided to lookup and link to a block from any note, without having to type an identifier for the note.
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) The app provides a means by which to arrange notes such that they can be browsed through a tree structure (e.g., tags, folders)
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Allows 3+ levels deep hierarchy
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Can apply multiple hierarchies to one note A note can be in multiple navigation hierarchies concurrently (i.e., because it has multiple tags)
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Emojis in hierarchy Emojis can be used to demarcate note hierarchy members
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Hierarchy can be merged Notes that were tagged or filed in one hierarchy can be merged en masse into another hierarchy
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Hierarchy can be moved It's possible to drag-and-drop, or otherwise relocate a branch of the organization hierarchy to a new location
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Hierarchy coloring Nodes in the note hierarchy can be colored
Note organization hierarchy (tags, folders) => Hierarchy normalizes casing/spacing Hierarchy members have capitalization and spacing normalized in order to avoid creation of duplicates
Note reminder An alert time can be associated with a note
Pin to top A note can be pinned to the top of the note list for easy access, and will stay there until unpinned
Quick open note lookup A hotkey is available that can be used to access an input box that searches notes, and a note can be selected from that list without using the mouse
Quick open note lookup => Quick-open can filter on hierarchy
Save or favorite The parameters of a search can be saved to become accessible within one click
Shortcuts Groups of notes can be accessed from a dedicated "Shortcuts" or "Favorites" area within the app
Slash command shortcut The forward slash key can be used to call forth a dialogue with a list of editing & formatting options
Turn selected text into a note link App exposes a hotkey or clickable icon to create a link to a new or existing note where selected text will be extracted to.
Sharing/Collaboration What features exist to share notes with the world?
@mentions Collaborators can be referenced via an @ prefix, receiving a notification upon being mentioned
Blog hosting Company provides a hosted space for publishing notes as blog posts, and published notes can be browsed by author.
Embeddable in web pages App provides means to embed note content in web pages outside the app
Lock editing/Read-only mode A note can be locked to prevent editing
Note view counter A counter exists to see how many times a shared/published note has been viewed
Presentation mode A set of notes can be presented as full screen slides
Publish to URL Notes can be shared through a publicly-accessible link
Publish to URL => Customizable URL
Publish to URL => Editable published notes Notes shared via a publicly-accessible link can be edited by any visitor without requiring explicit permissions from the note owner
Publish to URL => Expiration date can be set on published URL
Real-time collaboration Multiple parties can edit a note concurrently + see where each editor's cursor resides
Sharable with selected members Enable a specific user or multiple users to view and/or edit one's otherwise private note content
Sharable with selected members => Allows configurable read or write access
Share notes en masse It's possible to define a group of notes to be shared through a single action.
User commenting
User commenting => On a note itself
User commenting => On text in a note
Workspace view All documents shared by collaborators can be accessed on a consolidated page
Tables Does the app support formatting data in tables?
Apply formatting to entire row/column
Cell background coloring
Column data types Column data types (e.g., numeric, text, enumerated) can be defined such that they restrict the type of input that can be entered into a cell
Cross-document A table's data can be viewed from different notes for a single source of truth
Formulas
Formulas => Formula autosuggest Formulas can be deduced by an inline autosuggest hint
Formulas => Math formulas
Search/filter Table rows can be filtered based on an input query
Sortable rows Rows can be sorted by the contents of a column
Table-formatted content Basic support for formatting content as a table
Tasks & Scheduling (Calendar) What to-do list and scheduling features does the app support?
Assignable An option exists to designate who is expected to complete a task
Batch complete Multiple sibling tasks or checkboxes can be marked complete en masse
Built-in calendar A calendar on which tasks can be viewed is provided in the app
Built-in calendar => Exports tasks to external calendar
Built-in calendar => Exports tasks to external calendar => Google Calendar
Built-in calendar => Exports tasks to external calendar => Outlook
Built-in calendar => Imports tasks from calendar App will import existing events from an external calendar (e.g., Google Calendar) and show them within the app
Create a task from Slack
Create a task from email
Due date (aka "Start time") A specific date and time at which a task is scheduled to be addressed
Embeddable content Content can be contained in a task beyond standard markdown text/links
Embeddable content => Images
Embeddable content => PDFs
Embeddable content => Video
Global task view There exists a means to view all tasks that have been created across a group of notes
Keyboard shortcut "Quick Add" (desktop) A hotkey allows entering a new task while in the midst of using any desktop app
Limited tasks Text can be prefaced with a completable checkbox, but is not removed from the task list when completed
Movable en masse It's possible to move a batch of tasks from one note to another using drag and drop
Nesting/Sub-tasks Child tasks can be defined such that completing or hiding the parent task applies that same operation to all child tasks
Nesting/Sub-tasks => Collapsible It's possible to "fold" or "contract" a group of tasks so that sub-tasks are hidden
Nesting/Sub-tasks => Draggable Groups of task hierarchies can be dragged from one location to another
Priority There exists a means by which one can designate a task as being "high priority"
Priority => Important There exists the means to mark a task as "Important," implying the task should not be forgotten but needn't be done soon
Priority => Urgent There exists a means to mark a task not only as "High priority," but "Urgent," which brings the additional implication that the task is to be completed soon.
Recurrence
Recurrence => Flexible recurrence It's possible to set up tasks to recur at a chosen interval after the previous instance of the task is completed. For example, if you want to exercise every 2 days after you last exercised.
Reminders An alert time can be associated with a task
Removed from list upon completion
Snooze An option is provided to hide a task until a later date chosen
Stats Stats are available on past completed tasks
Time estimate It's possible to set a task duration estimate
Two or less taps to add new task from mobile When the mobile app is opened, no more than two taps are ever necessary to add a new task
Web Capture What functionality is offered to capture content discovered on the internet?
Annotate clipping
Capture URL The URL of the web page from whence the capture occurred can be included among the content inserted into note
Choose note destination Web clipper allows choosing a note to insert image into
Chrome extension
Clip content longer than one screen The clipper can capture an entire web page, even when it is taller than their viewport
Clip partial page A specific area on the page can be selected to capture
Clipped text pastable into note
Clipped text searchable
Firefox extension
Safari extension
Specify tags during capture

Disambiguate Amplenote vs Notion

Difficulty of switching between apps:

Amplenote

Notion