devBoard vs Notion

By Darko Bačić, founder of App Tube · 9 October 2026 · Facts checked 9 October 2026

Pick Notion if your team lives in docs and wants tasks next to them. Pick devBoard if you want a tracker built for dev work, with a timer and releases, and nothing to build first. Some teams keep Notion for docs and track tasks somewhere else. We make devBoard, so keep that in mind as you read. Where Notion is better, we say so.

The main difference: a tracker you build or one that is ready

Notion is a docs tool first. A page can hold a database, and a task list is a database where each item is its own page. You set up its fields and views. That makes it flexible, but someone has to build it and keep it tidy.

devBoard comes as a tracker. A new project starts with a board: To do, In progress and Done. An epic is a big piece of work split into smaller tasks. A subtask is one small step inside a task. There is nothing to design, and not much you can reshape.

An example: Ana

Ana is a freelancer with three clients: a bakery app, a hotel site and a clinic booking app. She keeps specs and meeting notes for each client in Notion, and she still does.

She used to track tasks there too. Notion has no timer, so she added a browser extension for her hours.

Now her tasks live in devBoard, one workspace per client. She presses Start on a task, and the time lands on it.

Side by side

MCP is the open standard that lets an AI assistant use other tools. Both have an official MCP server. Notion's MCP docs list what its server can do.

What Notion does better

Docs and a wiki

Docs are the heart of Notion. devBoard has no docs and no wiki.

Many views of the same list

You can see one Notion database in seven views, from a table to a chart. devBoard shows a board or a list.

Forms that fill a database

A Notion form adds an item to a database, so a client can send in a bug report. In devBoard, a guest can look but cannot add anything.

Importers from other tools

Notion imports from Trello, Asana, Confluence, monday.com, Google Docs and more. devBoard has no importer.

What devBoard does better

A tracker with nothing to build

Open a new project and the board is there. Epics, tasks, subtasks, priority, due dates and estimates are built in. Nobody has to design a database. More on boards and columns.

A timer on the task

Press Start on a task or subtask, and Stop when you are done. Each task shows its total next to its estimate.

Releases and pull requests

A release is a version of your app that goes out on a date. You add tasks to it, then mark it shipped. Connect GitHub, and pull requests show up on their task. A pull request asks to merge a set of code changes into the main code.

Start work from your editor

Say "start APP-42" in Claude Code or Cursor. devBoard assigns you, moves the card to In progress, starts your timer and gives you a branch name. A branch is a separate line of work in your code. Notion's server works with pages and databases instead.

What devBoard does not have

• No docs or wiki. Keep those in Notion.
• No web app or browser version.
• No Windows or Linux app yet. Both are coming.
• No custom fields, links between tasks or automations.
• No timeline, calendar or Gantt view.
• No search inside descriptions or comments.
• No chat, importer or export.

Who should stay on Notion

• Your team writes a lot more than it tracks.
• Your task database works, and people use it.
• You want forms or many views of one list.
• Someone needs a browser or a Windows app.

Who should try devBoard

• Your Notion task database keeps getting messy.
• You want a timer on the task, with no extension.
• You ship in releases and keep your code on GitHub.
• You want your AI assistant to start and finish tasks.
• Everyone is on iPhone, Android or Mac.

See also other Notion alternatives and all our comparisons.

What it costs

Prices as of October 2026, from Notion's pricing page.

For devBoard, there is one line. Free while in early access; paid plans will be one plain number, posted here first.

Moving from Notion

devBoard has no importer, so you move open tasks by hand. Your docs do not need to move. Filter your task database to what is not done, then add those tasks. The guide to epics, tasks and subtasks shows how in about five minutes.