You needed somewhere for the team to keep track of work. Not another spreadsheet. Something proper. Something that would hold tasks, notes, and a bit of structure without becoming a project in itself.

You found Notion. Flexible. Highly rated. Used by startups and agencies everywhere. You set it up.

Then the setup became the project. You built a task database. Then a wiki. Then a nested page for each team member. Then a linked database that pulled data from the first database. Six weeks in, the workspace had forty pages. Four of them got opened regularly. The rest sat there, a monument to a very productive week of configuration.

What the Team Actually Opens

Meeting notes. The shared task list. Maybe a page of standard operating procedures someone wrote eighteen months ago.

That is the job Notion gets used for in most small teams. And Notion does all of it.

It also does relational databases, formula fields, linked databases, rollup properties, Kanban views, calendar views, timeline views, gallery views, API integrations, AI writing tools, and a template library with four hundred entries. Your team uses the notes and the task list.

What your Notion subscription pays for
  • Relational databases and formula fields
  • Linked database views and rollup properties
  • Kanban, calendar, timeline, and gallery views
  • API access and third-party integrations
  • AI writing and summarisation tools
  • Four hundred workspace templates
  • Guest access management
  • Version history and audit logs
What most small teams actually open
  • Meeting notes
  • Shared task list
  • One or two reference pages

Who Notion Is Actually Built For

Notion is a serious tool for teams with a dedicated ops person who maintains the workspace. Startups with a systems thinker who loves database architecture. Agencies that have built their entire project management workflow inside a custom Notion setup and have someone responsible for keeping it current.

If your team is a small business without a dedicated ops role, Notion is built for a different customer. The flexibility is real. So is the maintenance overhead. Every new view, every new property, every new linked database is configuration work that has to be done by someone. For most small teams that someone is the busiest person in the room.

The Cost of Maintaining a Workspace Nobody Finishes

Notion Plus runs around A$15 per person per month. A team of five pays A$75 a month. That is A$2,700 over three years for a platform they use to write meeting notes and run a task list.

Picture a five-person professional services team that has been on Notion for three years. They write notes after client meetings. They check off tasks in a shared list. They have never touched the linked database setup they spent two weeks building. They paid A$2,700 and spent forty hours configuring a system they use at five percent of its capacity.

Notion Plus: 5 users over 3 years
A$2,700
A$15/user/month. Recurring. Forever.
Merebase Merebase task manager
A$499
Once. No monthly fee after that.

What a Merebase task manager Includes

A Merebase task manager is built for the job your team actually has. You describe the fields you track, the status workflow that fits your process, and the notes format that makes sense for your work. The app is built to do exactly that. Nothing else.

What a Merebase task manager includes:

A task list with the custom fields your team uses. Status tracking with your workflow steps. Notes per task or project. Search and filter by any field. Team assignment and due dates. Full data export at any time. A$499 once. You bring your own hosting. A basic plan runs A$5 to A$20 a month.

There is no template library to browse. No linked database to configure. No AI tools panel to ignore. The app does the job. The team opens it, checks off work, and closes it.

If the task list grows into something more complex later, that is a scoped conversation. Each change is priced in writing before any payment.

Common questions
Is there a cheaper alternative to Notion for small teams?
Yes. A Merebase task manager built by Merebase does what most small teams actually use Notion for: a shared task list, meeting notes, and project status tracking. A$499 once. No subscription fee. No workspace to maintain. You bring your own hosting.
Can I export my Notion content to a Merebase app?
Yes. Notion lets you export pages and databases as CSV or Markdown files. A custom Merebase app can be built to accept that data as a starting point. Your tasks and notes come with you. The scope for how your data transfers is agreed in writing before any payment.
What does a Merebase task manager include?
A Merebase task manager from Merebase includes a task list with the fields your team uses, status tracking, notes per task or project, team assignment, due dates, search and filter, and data export. A$499 once, agreed in writing before payment.
What if I need to add features later?
Additional features can be added as separate builds. Each change is scoped and priced in writing before any payment. You are never locked into a recurring fee or dependent on a platform's roadmap.