Notion at 500 seats is $150K/yr.
Outline on a VPS is $1,200.
Notion is a block-based wiki + database tool on top of Postgres. Outline (BSL · free for self-host) and Affine (open source) are mature alternatives at the wiki layer. We deploy + operate the OSS wiki on your AWS, with Notion-API-compatible migration. Same workspace UX. Same hierarchical pages. Same SSO + permissions. Code in your tenancy.
Notion Business · 500 seats
At 2,000+ seats Enterprise, Y1 reclaim crosses $500K. The math is among the sharpest of any SaaS rebuild.
Per-seat SaaS pricing + headcount growth = compounding tax.
Notion's per-seat model means every new hire is a budget line. Self-hosted Outline / Affine costs scale with bytes (storage) and traffic (compute), both far cheaper. The bigger your team, the sharper the math.
Notion list prices May 2026. Self-host numbers based on Outline (BSL · free for internal use) deployed on AWS EC2 + Postgres + S3 + Allied $18K deploy amortised. Notion's enterprise pricing has the steepest seat-tier escalation in the SaaS category we audit; the math gets stronger every quarter as your team grows.
Three layers. Same wiki UX.
Outline is the closest UX match to Notion at the wiki layer (hierarchical workspaces, rich-text blocks, slash commands, real-time collaboration). Affine adds whiteboarding + databases. We pick based on your team's actual usage during the audit; deploy on your AWS with full Notion-API-compatible migration.
- BSL license, free for internal use
- Hierarchical workspaces + collections
- Rich-text blocks · slash commands
- Real-time collaboration (Y.js)
- SSO via OIDC / SAML
- Notion-API-compatible importer
- MIT license, fully open source
- Block editor + whiteboard + databases
- Closer feature match to Notion DBs
- Newer project; less mature ops
- We typically blend with Outline for wikis
- Postgres — content + users + permissions
- S3 — file uploads + attachments
- Redis — real-time presence + locks
- SSO via your IdP (Okta / Azure / Google)
- SCIM provisioning
- Audit log in your DB
Outline is BSL 1.1 (Business Source Licensed) — free for self-host for internal company use. Affine is MIT-licensed, fully unrestricted. Both fit Allied's deployment model; we pick during the audit based on team workflows.
Wiki: at parity. Databases: depends.
Outline matches Notion's wiki UX closely. Notion's database features (kanban, calendar, gallery, formulas) are partially covered by Affine and fully covered by combining Outline + a separate DB tool (Linear, Airtable, custom Postgres dashboard). We assess actual usage during the audit.
Fixed price. Sized by seat count.
One number, one ship date. Sized by seat count + content volume + required compliance posture.
From $18,000 — fixed
- Outline / Affine deployment on your AWS
- Postgres + S3 + Redis sized for your volume
- SSO integration — Okta / Azure AD / Google Workspace
- SCIM provisioning from your IdP
- Notion content migration via Notion API (full export)
- Permissions migration — workspace + page-level
- Search indexing + Algolia / Meilisearch integration
- Backup + DR — daily snapshots
- 1-week parallel run with Notion before cutover
- Runbook + handover doc
24-hour quote turnaround · NDA on request
Why we don't recommend the obvious switches.
"Notion alternative" results: Confluence, Coda, ClickUp, Slite, Slab. Same per-seat pricing, different brand.
"What about…"
How does content migration work?▾
What about Notion databases?▾
What about real-time collaboration?▾
What about Notion AI?▾
What about my team's existing Notion shortcuts / templates?▾
Who owns the data?▾
Why this number works: AI-paired senior engineers raise the floor on quality + consistency · 250+ products shipped · direct vendor billing — you keep the wrapper margin. → The full method
SCOPE · WHAT WE REBUILD vs WHAT WE DON’T · NOTION ENTERPRISE
We don’t rebuild Notion Enterprise. We rebuild your usage of it — the 15–25% you’re paying for and actually using, on direct billing. Read the universal methodology →
- Document database — your existing page hierarchy, with permission inheritance, on Postgres + Tiptap editor
- Block editor — rich text + tables + embeds (YouTube, Figma, Loom), with markdown export
- Search across docs — full-text + semantic search via Pinecone, with permission-aware results
- Templates — your existing 5–15 templates (meeting notes, project briefs, OKRs) ported 1:1
- SSO + audit log — Okta / Azure AD / Google Workspace SAML, with per-doc access logs
- API for integrations — your existing Notion API consumers (typically 2–5 internal tools) get a compat shim
- Notion AI — covered in /agents/ as standalone offering with Claude direct
- Database views with formulas — basic views (table, board, timeline) rebuilt; complex formulas + relations + rollups stay out of scope. Our pick: Airtable for advanced relational
- Notion Sites (publish to web) — niche feature. Our pick: Webflow, Framer, or static-site generators (Astro, Next.js)
- Mobile editing — Notion has solid native apps. We ship web-responsive only by default; native mobile is a separate $$$ scope
- Guest sharing for external users — security / permissions complexity. Our pick: separate doc-share layer (Box, Dropbox, or your CRM portal)
Not a rebuild case? We still help. Free 30-min advisory call to evaluate any of the alternatives above — we use them all in our practice and have no resale relationships, just opinions earned from the work. Book a call →
Stop the per-seat pricing. Self-host the wiki.
From $18,000 fixed. 4–5 weeks to ship. Same wiki UX. Your AWS. Your content. No deck-pitch — send your Notion plan + seat count, we send a quote in 24 hours.
15+ years · ISO 9001:2015 · 250+ shipped · MSA · SOW · DPA ready · BSL / MIT OSS deployment.