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Document tools for activists

Collaborative text editing and smart spreadsheets
Last update: Mar 28, 2022
Languages:
  • Google Docs: Collaborative text editing
  • Notion: Smart documents
  • Coda: Smart documents
  • Airtable: Modern spreadsheets
  • Workflowy: Fast note-taking
  • Anytype: Open source Notion alternative, in beta

Evaluation criteria

  • Ease of use: popularity, simplicity features
  • Pricing:
  • Platforms: desktop app/mobile app/web
  • Sharing: collaboration, managing access rights
  • Publishing
  • Relational databases
  • Forms
  • Charts
  • Integrations

Comparing document tools

Google Docs

  • Ease of use: quite popular, relatively simple to use
  • Pricing: free for most features, with optional Google Workspace plans
  • Platforms: desktop app/mobile app/web
  • Sharing: collaboration, managing access rights
  • Publishing: can be published as web page, but limited functionality compared to other tools
  • Relational databases: not available
  • Forms: Not directly available. For specific use cases, there is a workaround: Google Forms can be used to collect data in Google Sheets. Within Google Sheets, a chart can be made. This chart can then be copied into Google Docs, with live syncing.
  • Charts: Not directly available. See workaround via Google Sheets above.
  • Integrations: some extensions available, limited compared to other tools

Notion

  • Ease of use: lots of features, so more difficult to learn
  • Pricing: free plan available, paid plans for more collaboration features
  • Platforms: desktop app/mobile app/web
  • Sharing: collaboration, managing access rights
  • Publishing
  • Relational databases
  • Forms
  • Charts
  • Integrations

Coda

Coda is very similar to Notion.

Airtable

Airtable is an advanced Goole Sheets alternative. Using ‘views’, you can display the same data in various ways (e.g. filtering, grouping). You can also link datapoints between different tables. Finally, there are various apps to automate processes.

Workflowy

Workflowy is a quick note-taking app.

Anytype

Anytype is an open source alternative for Notion or Coda. All data is saved locally, and if you share it across devices or people, the content is end-to-end encrypted.

Resources

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