About 19; min
Confluence has been the default wiki for software teams since the Atlassian suite took over the enterprise. But Notion is eating into that market from the bottom up — startups and mid-size companies are choosing it as their first knowledge base, and some enterprises are migrating away from Confluence entirely.
The pricing tells an interesting story. Here’s how they compare in 2026 for teams of every size.
Quick Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Confluence | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 10 users | Unlimited users (limited blocks) |
| Standard/Plus | $6.05/user/mo | $10/user/mo |
| Premium/Business | $11.55/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Confluence is cheaper at every tier. But pricing alone doesn’t capture the full picture — you need to factor in what else each platform replaces.
Confluence Pricing Breakdown
The free tier caps at 10 users but gives you unlimited spaces and pages. For a tiny startup documenting processes, it’s genuinely enough for the first year.
Standard at $6.05/user is where most teams land. 250 GB storage covers years of documentation for most companies. The jump to Premium at $11.55 adds sandbox environments (test changes before publishing), analytics on page engagement, and team calendars — nice-to-haves but not essentials for most teams.
The Atlassian Bundle Effect
If your team already uses Jira, Confluence becomes significantly more valuable. Cross-linking Jira issues to Confluence pages, embedding Jira boards in documentation, and using the shared Atlassian admin console creates a workflow that Notion can’t replicate.
The combined cost for Jira Standard + Confluence Standard = $14.20/user/month. That’s project management + wiki for less than Notion Business alone ($15/user).
Notion Pricing Breakdown
Notion’s free tier is generous on users but limited on blocks (the fundamental unit of content). Small teams will hit the block limit within a few months of active documentation. The Plus plan at $10/user removes all limits.
Notion AI Add-on
Notion AI costs an additional $10/user/month on top of your plan. That means Notion Plus + AI = $20/user/month. Confluence doesn’t charge extra for AI features — Atlassian Intelligence is included in all paid plans.
For a 50-person team wanting AI features: Notion costs $1,000/month ($500 Plus + $500 AI). Confluence Standard costs $302.50/month with AI included. That’s a $697.50/month difference — $8,370/year.
What Each Tool Actually Replaces
This is where the comparison gets nuanced. Confluence is a wiki. Notion is a wiki + database + project tracker + note-taking app combined.
| Capability | Confluence | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Wiki/documentation | Yes (core feature) | Yes |
| Databases/spreadsheets | No (use Jira/Sheets) | Yes (built-in) |
| Project management | No (use Jira) | Yes (boards, timelines, calendars) |
| Note-taking | Basic | Excellent |
| Meeting notes | Templates | Templates + AI summaries |
| CRM/lightweight tracking | No | Yes (database views) |
| Public-facing docs | Possible (clunky) | Easy (publish to web) |
If Notion replaces your wiki AND your lightweight project tracker AND your meeting notes tool, the per-user cost looks different:
| Stack | Option A: Confluence + Jira + Notes app | Option B: Notion (all-in-one) |
|---|---|---|
| Wiki | Confluence Standard: $6.05 | Notion Plus: $10 |
| Project management | Jira Standard: $8.15 | |
| Notes/docs | Free (Google Docs) | |
| Total/user/mo | $14.20 | $10 |
When Notion replaces multiple tools, it’s actually $4.20/user cheaper than the Atlassian stack. The question is whether Notion’s project management is sufficient for your needs (it works for marketing teams, less so for complex software development).
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Confluence | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Page templates | 75+ built-in | 10,000+ community |
| Version history | Unlimited | 30–90 days (plan dependent) |
| Permissions granularity | Space + page level | Teamspace + page level |
| Search quality | Good | Good (improving) |
| API | REST API | REST API |
| Integrations | 1,000+ (Atlassian Marketplace) | 100+ native + API |
| Offline mode | No | Yes (desktop/mobile) |
| Mobile app | Basic | Excellent |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Low |
| Export options | PDF, Word | PDF, HTML, Markdown, CSV |
| AI features | Included (paid plans) | $10/user add-on |
Where Confluence Wins
- Version history: Unlimited on all plans. Notion caps at 30–90 days depending on plan. For compliance-heavy industries, this matters
- Jira integration: Nothing matches the depth of Confluence + Jira for software teams
- Marketplace: 1,000+ apps for diagrams (draw.io), planning poker, Gantt charts, and specialized workflows
- AI included: No additional cost on paid plans
Where Notion Wins
- Database views: Tables, boards, calendars, timelines, and galleries from the same data. Confluence can’t do this natively
- Ease of use: Notion’s block-based editor is more intuitive than Confluence’s editor. Onboarding is faster
- Offline access: Desktop and mobile apps work without internet. Confluence requires connection
- Public pages: One-click publish to the web. Confluence requires additional setup for public-facing documentation
- Multi-purpose: Replaces wiki + lightweight PM + notes in one tool
Cost at Scale
| Team Size | Confluence Standard | Notion Plus | Notion Plus + AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 users | $726/yr | $1,200/yr | $2,400/yr |
| 50 users | $3,630/yr | $6,000/yr | $12,000/yr |
| 200 users | $14,520/yr | $24,000/yr | $48,000/yr |
| 500 users | $36,300/yr | $60,000/yr | $120,000/yr |
At 500 users, Confluence saves $23,700/year over Notion Plus — or $83,700/year over Notion with AI. These are significant budget differences at enterprise scale.
Who Should Pick What
Pick Confluence If:
- Your team already uses Jira or other Atlassian products
- You’re primarily a software/engineering organization needing deep issue-tracking integration
- Budget per user matters and you want AI included at no extra cost
- Unlimited version history is a compliance requirement
- You have 200+ users and want the lowest per-seat cost
Pick Notion If:
- You want one tool for wiki + project tracking + meeting notes + databases
- Your team values ease of use and fast onboarding over deep customization
- You’re a non-engineering team (marketing, ops, HR) that doesn’t need Jira
- Offline access is important for your workflow
- You’re under 50 users and the total cost difference is manageable
Best value for engineering teams: Confluence — $6.05/user with AI included and deep Jira integration. The Atlassian stack is purpose-built for software teams.
Best all-in-one workspace: Notion — if it replaces multiple tools, the higher per-user cost is offset by eliminating separate subscriptions.
Best for large organizations: Confluence — the per-user savings at 200+ users are too significant to ignore, and unlimited version history handles compliance needs.
Best for startups and small teams: Notion — the flexibility to use one tool for everything matches the “do more with less” reality of small teams.
FAQ
Can I migrate from Confluence to Notion?
Yes. Notion has a built-in Confluence importer that handles pages, spaces, and basic formatting. Complex macros (Jira boards, draw.io diagrams) won’t transfer. Budget 1–2 weeks for a 500+ page migration including cleanup.
Does Notion work for large enterprises?
It’s improving. Notion added SAML SSO, SCIM, and audit logs in recent years. However, some enterprises report performance issues with very large workspaces (10,000+ pages). Confluence handles massive wikis more reliably at scale.
Can I use both together?
Some teams use Confluence for engineering documentation (linked to Jira) and Notion for company-wide knowledge (HR, marketing, operations). This avoids forcing non-technical teams onto Confluence’s steeper learning curve.
Which has better search?
Confluence’s search is slightly more reliable for large wikis with thousands of pages. Notion’s search has improved significantly but can still miss results in very large workspaces. Both are adequate for most teams.
