Why One Writer Ditched Notion for Trilium Notes

Rahul Naskar, a veteran writer for Android Police, has abandoned Notion in favor of Trilium Notes. This transition signals a shift away from complex productivity systems toward simpler, self-hosted knowledge management, highlighting a growing frustration with the 'productivity paralysis' that often accompanies highly flexible, database-driven tools.

Naskar found that Notion's powerful database-centric approach became a distraction rather than a utility. Instead of capturing information, he reported spending more time building the structure than writing notes. To solve this, he migrated to Trilium Notes, a free, open-source, cross-platform application specifically designed for large personal knowledge bases. Because Trilium is primarily desktop-based, Naskar self-hosted the application using Docker on a PC, allowing him to access his notes via mobile web browsers.

The Battle of Organizational Models

The core of the shift lies in the fundamental difference between how the two apps organize data. Notion relies heavily on databases and flexible blocks, which allows users to build complex, interconnected systems. While powerful, this flexibility often tempts users to over-engineer their workspaces, leading to a cycle of constant reorganization.

In contrast, Trilium utilizes a hierarchical tree model based on parent- and child-note relationships. Naskar argues that this structure is more intuitive, noting that a hierarchical tree feels more natural because it is a mental model humans have used since childhood. By returning to this linear, nested structure, the author shifted his focus from designing a system to the actual act of writing.

The Rise of Digital Minimalism

This move reflects a broader trend within the productivity community toward 'digital minimalism' and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). There is an increasing tension between 'system building'—the hallmark of the Notion experience—and 'knowledge capturing,' which prioritizes the rapid intake and storage of information without the overhead of database management.

Furthermore, the choice of Trilium emphasizes a desire for data ownership. By opting for a self-hosted, open-source alternative to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tools, users gain total control over their data and avoid the constraints and privacy concerns associated with cloud-based proprietary platforms.

What to Watch

While Trilium offers a robust alternative for those seeking a hierarchical structure, it currently lacks the seamless mobile experience of its cloud competitors. According to Android Police, official apps for Android and iOS are currently in development, though users must currently rely on web-based access or self-hosting workarounds like Docker to maintain mobility. For users weighing the two options, the choice remains a trade-off between the high-powered, collaborative flexibility of Notion and the structured, private autonomy of Trilium.