Notion AI Review 2025: Your Second Brain
Notion has evolved from a simple note-taking app into an AI-powered “Everything App.” With the 2025 release of Notion Agents and Q&A, it can now search your Slack, Google Drive, and Wikis to answer questions and automate workflows. It transforms your static documents into an active, intelligent database.
Pricing: Free / $20 mo
Quick Verdict: Is Notion AI Worth It in 2025?
If your team struggles with “information silos” (info trapped in Slack/Drive), Notion Business ($20/mo) is transformative. The new pricing model now bundles full AI features into the Business plan, making it a better value than before. The ability to ask “What is the status of Project X?” and have the AI pull answers from connected apps is a game-changer for productivity.
Pros
- Notion Agents (2025): Autonomous bots that can perform multi-step tasks across your workspace, like “Summarize these meetings and update the CRM.”
- Q&A (Enterprise Search): A “Perplexity-style” search bar for your own company data. It cites the specific Notion page or Slack thread it found the answer in.
- AI Connectors: Natively integrates with Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub so the AI can “see” outside of Notion.
- Database Autofill: AI can automatically populate database columns (e.g., extracting “Client Name” or “Sentiment” from unstructured notes).
Cons
- Feature Overload: The sheer number of features (Docs, Wikis, Calendars, Databases) can be overwhelming for new users.
- Mobile Speed: Despite improvements, the mobile app can still feel slower than dedicated lightweight notes apps like Apple Notes.
- Pricing Shift: The standalone “AI Add-on” is gone for new users; full AI power is now locked behind the Business tier ($20/mo).
Key Features & Real-World Workflows
1. Notion Q&A
Instead of manually digging through folders, you press `Cmd+J` and ask: “Who is the point of contact for the Q3 redesign?” The AI scans your entire workspace and gives you the answer instantly.
- Strength: It acts as a 24/7 librarian for your company’s knowledge.
2. AI Database Properties
If you have a database of 500 user feedback emails, you can add an AI column to “Summarize Sentiment” or “Extract Feature Requests.” The AI will auto-fill every row for you.
- Strength: Turns unstructured text into structured data without manual data entry.
3. Writing & Editing
Highlight any text to fix grammar, change the tone to “Professional,” or translate it into 14 languages. It’s like having Grammarly and Google Translate built-in.
- Strength: Keeps documentation consistent across global teams.
How Notion Scores on Our Rankings
| Criteria | Score | Why it scored this way |
|---|---|---|
| Versatility | 10.0 | It can be a wiki, a CRM, a blog, or a project tracker. No other tool is this flexible. |
| AI Integration | 9.5 | AI is not just a chatbot; it’s woven into the databases and search, making it genuinely useful. |
| Design/UX | 9.0 | Beautiful, minimalist design that makes writing documents a pleasure. |
| Pricing & Value | 8.5 | The shift to bundling AI in the $20 Business plan is great for teams, but pricey for solo users. |
| Offline Mode | 7.0 | Still lacks a robust “offline-first” mode compared to Obsidian, which is a pain for travelers. |
Notion Pricing in 2025
| Plan | Key Benefits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Unlimited blocks (individual) / Limited AI Trial | $0 |
| Plus | Unlimited file uploads / 100 Guests / Limited AI | $10/mo |
| Business | Full AI Access / SSO / Private Teamspaces | $20/mo |
Alternatives to Notion
- Obsidian: Best if you prioritize Privacy & Speed. It stores files locally on your device and is blazing fast, but lacks team features.
- Coda: Best if you need Powerful Databases. Coda feels more like an app-builder with formulas that rival Excel.
- ClickUp: Best for Strict Project Management. If you need rigid Gantt charts and time tracking, ClickUp is more structured.
Final Verdict: Should You Use Notion?
If you want to centralize your work in one place, Notion is the industry standard. The 2025 AI updates have turned it from a passive storage bin into an active assistant that helps you find and organize information. While it has a learning curve, the payoff in organization is worth it.