# Baalda vs Notion

> Baalda vs Notion: Notion is a polished all-in-one cloud workspace, but your data lives in its database. Baalda keeps notes as plain markdown you own, edited live by your team.

Source: https://baalda.com/compare/notion
Site: Baalda, https://baalda.com

Pick Notion if you want an all-in-one cloud workspace with databases and don't mind your knowledge living server-side in a proprietary format. Pick Baalda if you want a local-first, open-source team second brain where every note is a markdown file you own, still edited together in real time.

## Side by side

| | Baalda | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time multi-user editing | Yes · CRDT, keystroke-level | Yes |
| Notes are plain markdown files on your disk | Yes | No · proprietary blocks |
| Local-first (works offline, you own the files) | Yes | No · cloud database |
| Open source | Yes · Apache-2.0 | No |
| AI reads & writes your files (MCP) | Yes | No · Notion AI is closed/cloud |
| Per-file permissions | Yes | Partial · page-level |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Price | Free + Team plan | Free + per-seat |

## Where Notion wins

- Databases, views, and templates for structured work.
- An all-in-one workspace: docs, wikis, projects, and tasks in one place.
- Polished UI and a large template ecosystem.

## Where Baalda wins

- Your notes are plain markdown files on your disk, not rows in someone's database.
- Local-first: works fully offline and outlives the app, with no lock-in.
- Open source (Apache-2.0) and self-hostable, with AI writing to your real files over MCP.

## Moving over

Notion exports to markdown. Copy those files into a Baalda vault, and from then on your knowledge is plain markdown you own rather than proprietary blocks.

## FAQ

### Is there an open source Notion alternative?

Yes. Baalda is an open-source (Apache-2.0), local-first alternative for teams: real-time collaboration like Notion, but every note is a plain markdown file you own and can self-host.

### Does Baalda have databases like Notion?

Baalda focuses on linked markdown notes, backlinks, and graph rather than Notion-style relational databases. If your core need is structured databases, Notion may fit better; if it's an owned, collaborative knowledge base, Baalda does.

### Who owns my data in Notion vs Baalda?

In Notion your content lives in Notion's cloud database. In Baalda every note is a markdown file on your own disk, so you keep and control the data even offline.