Catchlight vs Notion.
Notion is built for teams, with your pages living on its servers behind an account. Catchlight is the tool for the opposite job, a private notebook for one person, encrypted on your device so no one else can open it.
Notion is brilliant at what it’s for, building shared workspaces, wikis and databases for teams. That’s also why it’s the wrong tool if what you actually want is a private place to think. This is the honest split.
At a glance. The short version.
| Catchlight | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | None. Ever. | Notion account required |
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes, on device, always | No, Notion can access your content |
| Where data lives | Your device, optional folder you own | Notion’s cloud servers |
| Built for | Private, personal capture | Team workspaces and databases |
| Notes, tasks & reminders | One unified Take | Pages, databases and reminders |
| Price | One flat ~£14.99/yr | Free tier, then a per-user subscription |
| Verify the privacy | Read the source on GitHub | Trust the policy |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18+), more planned | Cross-platform and web |
Notion handling verified July 2026. Notion stores your content on its servers and is not end-to-end encrypted. Catchlight is pre-launch, its feature set is subject to change.
The honest bit. Is Notion private?
Notion holds your content on its servers and can access it, which it needs to for search, sharing and the web app. It’s not end-to-end encrypted. For a company wiki that’s expected. For your private journal it’s a lot of exposure for a lot of features you may never use.
Catchlight is zero-knowledge by default. Everything’s encrypted on your device with a key only you hold, and there’s no workspace for anyone to peer into. If your workspace doubles as the place you think, it deserves a password manager for your thoughts.
Different jobs. Workspace versus thought.
Notion wants you to build a system, databases, templates, relations. That’s the appeal and the overhead. Catchlight wants you to catch a thought before it’s gone and shape it later, with no structure to design first. One is a workspace you maintain. The other is a notebook that stays out of your way.
Being fair. Where Notion is the better choice.
If you’re running a team, a wiki, a content calendar or a project tracker with other people, Notion is superb and Catchlight isn’t built for that. Collaboration is its whole point.
Where Catchlight is the better choice.
Catchlight is the better choice for private, personal capture, notes, tasks and reminders in one place, encrypted on your device, no account, nobody able to read them. It’s for one person’s thinking, not a team’s filing.
Quick answers. Common questions.
Is Notion end-to-end encrypted?
No. Notion stores your content on its servers and can access it. Catchlight encrypts every Take on your device with a key only you hold.
Can Catchlight replace Notion?
For private personal notes, tasks and reminders, yes. For team wikis and databases, Notion is the right specialist tool.
Is there an account to create?
No. No account, no email, no sign-up. A 12-word Privacy Phrase on first launch is your key.
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