Confluence is a dedicated wiki and documentation tool optimized for enterprise teams with strong version control and permission management, while Notion is a flexible all-in-one workspace combining databases, wikis, and task management in one unified interface. Confluence excels at structured documentation workflows, whereas Notion offers superior customization and lower costs for smaller teams.
Confluence vs Notion — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Confluence if you're an enterprise team (50+ users) needing robust documentation, strong permission hierarchies, and compliance features with professional support. Choose Notion if you're a growing team (2-50 people) wanting a flexible workspace to consolidate docs, databases, and projects at lower cost with maximum customization.
Enterprise wiki and team documentation platform by Atlassian for structured knowledge management.
All-in-one workspace combining databases, documents, wikis, and task management with flexible templates.
Structured comparison data for Confluence vs Notion with 479 attributes.
Learning Curve (1-5 scale, lower is better)
Starting Price per User/Month (Annual Billing)
Total Cost of Ownership (50 Users, Annual)
Free Tier Monthly Recording/Creation Limit
Monthly Subscription Cost (Personal Plan)
Maximum Database Rows (optimal performance)
Real-time Simultaneous Collaborators (unlimited tier)
Native Data Visualization (charts, pivots)
Max Database Items Before Performance Degradation
Base Monthly Cost Per User (Annual Billing)
Monthly Cost Per User (Team Plan, Annual Billing)
Maximum Concurrent Users Per Board/Workspace
Confluence vs Notion — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Confluence vs Notion.
Notion is typically better for startups. Its workspace-based unlimited user pricing ($200/month) remains flat as you hire, while Confluence's per-user model ($5.50-$13.50/user) becomes expensive as team size grows. A 20-person startup pays $2,400/year on Notion versus $1,320-$3,120 on Confluence, but Notion's superior database features and all-in-one approach eliminate need for additional tools.
Which has better version control for compliance?
Confluence offers superior version control for compliance scenarios. It provides full page-level history with one-click restore to any previous version, detailed audit logs of who edited what and when, and SAML/SCIM compliance features required by regulated industries. Notion's block-level history and limited restore window (30 days on free plans) make it less suitable for strict compliance requirements.
Can Notion replace Confluence for large enterprises?
Notion can partially replace Confluence for some enterprise use cases but falls short for heavily regulated organizations. Notion excels at unified workspaces consolidating multiple tools, but lacks Confluence's granular permission controls (5 hierarchy levels vs 3), SAML/SCIM enforcement, and dedicated enterprise support. Enterprises with 200+ users and compliance requirements should stick with Confluence.
Which integrates better with development tools?
Confluence integrates natively and bidirectionally with Jira, making it the clear winner for development teams. Page links automatically update when linked Jira issues change, and developers can embed issue statuses directly in documentation. Notion requires Zapier automation or custom API integration for similar functionality, adding setup complexity and potential latency.
What's the real cost difference at scale?
At 100 users, Confluence costs $6,600-$16,200 annually (per-user model), while Notion costs $2,400 (flat workspace rate). However, Notion may require additional spending on AI features ($10/user/month) or premium integrations, whereas Confluence's cost covers all features. For teams under 50 users, Notion is substantially cheaper; for 100+ users, Notion's advantage grows to 60-85% cost savings.