I replaced these 4 apps with Notion, and I’m just getting started

I’m on a mission to use as few apps as possible, and Notion has been a huge help on my journey. It’s a powerful and highly customizable service that has allowed me to ditch several apps I now find redundant.

To give you an idea of how versatile this software is, I want to share the four apps I’ve replaced with Notion and why. Perhaps it will motivate you to try it out for yourself.

I’ve used many note-taking apps over the years. Google Keep was my go-to for a while, but I grew tired of its basic design and limited feature set. I then moved to Evernote, which was a significant improvement that I used for years. Eventually, however, I outgrew it as well. The free plan was too restrictive, limiting the number of notebooks I could create and the devices I could sync them with. More importantly, it lacked the database functionality and customization options that my workflow required.

That’s when I switched to Notion. Its free plan has far fewer restrictions and is generally more flexible. I use it for everything from creating simple notes and jotting down talking points for meetings to making detailed plans and building the various databases I need for work. What I love most is the ability to be as simple or as complex as I want. I can also personalize my pages by adding cover images and icons. With all that in mind, I’m never switching back to Evernote, especially now that its restrictions for free users are even harsher.

I’m no Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen, but there are a few dishes I like to prepare regularly. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to memorize all the ingredients or instructions, so I need to write them down. I used to use Recipe Keeper for this, which is a brilliant app in many ways. However, in my quest to consolidate my digital life, I decided to move my recipes into Notion to keep as much information as possible in one place.

I created a dedicated page in Notion that now stores all of my recipes. It was easy to set up, and I was able to include everything I needed for each dish: preparation time, detailed instructions, and even images to get my appetite going. While I could technically add nutritional values and other details, that’s overkill for me. I built the page myself, but there are plenty of free recipe templates available if you want to speed up the process. For my needs, Notion is a perfect replacement for a dedicated recipe app, and I don’t plan on switching back.

My workday revolves around sitting in a chair and staring at a screen for at least eight hours, so getting proper exercise is a must. I do a bit of resistance training, and for a long time, I used Jefit to monitor my progress. It’s a great app that allowed me to create my workout plan and track measurements like my weight and muscle size. After a while, however, I realized I could replicate its core functionality in Notion.

It took a bit of time to get everything set up, but I now get the same value from my custom fitness page in Notion as I did from the Jefit app. I use it to upload progress pictures, track my weight and measurements, and, of course, house my detailed workout plan with the specific exercises I want to do on certain days. I even went a step further and created a meal plan to ensure I’m getting enough protein daily. I’ll admit I haven’t been following that part perfectly — diet is the hardest part of my fitness journey — but hey, I’m trying.

Google Docs is a fantastic tool and was my primary writing app for years. I used it to write articles for Android Authority, and its cloud-based nature, simplicity, and automatic saving feature were invaluable. There’s nothing better than knowing your work is safe from a power outage or an accidental browser closure.

However, I always found its organizational features to be more or less non-existent, which is why I ultimately switched to Notion. All the essential Google Docs features I rely on are present in Notion, so I haven’t lost any functionality. But I have gained a lot. First, it’s one less app I need to open. Second, I can now organize all my work by week, month, or any other system I can think of. The possibilities for organizing my articles are practically endless, making it much easier to see what I accomplished in a specific period or find a post I wrote some time ago. For my workflow, Notion’s organizational power is far superior, and I’m sticking with it.

These are the four main apps I’ve replaced with Notion, but I’m just getting started. For example, I’ve been using Goodreads to keep track of books I want to read, a task I can easily move over to Notion. I’m also considering replacing my task and money management apps, but I haven’t yet managed to replicate the exact workflow I’m used to.

What about you? Which apps have you managed to replace with Notion? Let me know in the comments.