Move From Notion to Apple Notes With Me
With examples of my workarounds
Let’s face it: most of us content creators have a bit of an unhealthy relationship with productivity apps.
We download them to feel like we’ve accomplished something… even if all we did was color-code a new tag system or spend hours setting up our database connections.
For years, Notion has been my undisputed king of all-in-one everything.
It’s my Swiss Army knife of digital workspaces — capable of managing my life, my newsletter, my finances, and probably my (next) existential crisis too.
But lately, I’ve upped my use of Apple Notes quite a bit. For multiple reasons.
Apple Notes has learned some Notion-like tricks in recent past. And if you know how to use them, you can actually get stuff done without spending 47 minutes designing the perfect dashboard view.
Today, we’re diving into how Notion stacks up against Apple Notes now in my case — and how you can steal the best of both worlds.
I’ll also walk you through how I personally use my custom Superwriter Notion Template to manage writing, money, and my brain — and how you could kinda-sorta hack the same results using Apple Notes if that’s your jam.
Notion 2025
Let’s give credit where it’s due: Notion is still the king if you want modular, powerful, customizable everything. There isn’t much Notion can’t do.
My Superwriter* template? Built in Notion.
Why?
Because it lets me:
Draft and organize blog posts and newsletters in one content pipeline
Track partnerships and affiliate links
Plan launches, campaigns, goals — the whole content business machine
Link earnings to specific content
If Notion were a kitchen, it’d be a fancy open-plan chef’s paradise with gas burners, mood lighting, and six different knives.
But sometimes, you just want to make toast. That’s where Apple Notes comes in…
Apple Notes in 2025
Apple Notes used to be the place you pasted your grocery list and forgot it existed. It didn’t do much more than plain text and some links with a bit of bold and italics.
But now, in 2025, it can do quite a bit of fancy stuff alongside the basics of taking notes and formatting them.
Here’s what’s sorta new and awesome:
Recent notes menu: Two taps and you’re jumping between ideas like a caffeinated squirrel.
Math support: Type =6*7 and it’ll solve it like it’s the calculator’s cool cousin.
Audio recording with transcription + summaries (if you’ve got Apple Intelligence): Perfect for interviews, podcast ideas, or ranty voice notes you’re too tired to type.
Scan text directly into notes: Great for stealing inspiration from books at the bookstore without buying them (you didn’t hear that from me).
Collapsible text sections: Like toggles in Notion, but more subtle.
Mentions and tags: Basically @-mentions and hashtags, baked right into Notes.
Smart folders
It’s not Notion — no databases, no fancy relation properties — but with some clever structure, shortcuts, and a few cool plugins, it’s kinda perfect for actual writing.
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My Workflow
Let’s break it down by real use case:
IDEA CAPTURE
Notion: I have an “Idea Inbox” database tied to my Superwriter template. I can tag ideas by topic, stage, priority. It’s beautiful. But sometimes clunky on mobile.
Apple Notes: I have a pinned note called Home (from the Forever✱notes framework) which links to an idea note. When I’m half-asleep at 2 AM or standing in line for coffee, I just open Notes, hit the microphone, mumble an idea, and boom — it’s there, with auto-transcription.
The key here is the simplicity, but also the native, quick feel on mobile that Notion’s mobile apps unfortunately still lack.
Apple Notes wins for speed. Notion wins if you like your ideas dressed in metadata.
WRITING POSTS
Notion: In Superwriter, each post has its own template with a built-in checklist: draft → edit → publish → repurpose. I link affiliate tags, tie it to income, and track the goal it supports. It’s a system.
Apple Notes: One note per post. You can format nicely (titles, headings, quotes, checklists). And add things like: block quotes, checklists, attachments, etc.
Notion is better if you’re building a content library.
Apple Notes is better if you’re just trying to finish one dang blog post without spiraling into design mode.
AFFILIATES & INCOME
Notion: In Superwriter, I track affiliate programs, payouts, contact info, and link performance in one view. I know what links are working.
Apple Notes: You can make a checklist of brands you work with. I highly suggest interconnecting notes. Again, the Forever✱notes framework is a great system for this. You can link out to affiliate dashboards and connect anything important. Obviously, it’s not as flexible and complex as a Notion dashboard, but it works.
Still, Notion wins this round. Especially if you freelance, collaborate, and love databases.
CAMPAIGNS & PLANNING
Notion: With Superwriter, I set up a “Content Calendar” database. Filter by platform. Sort by deadline. Create dashboards that show exactly what’s due this week. Add goals, check progress.
Apple Notes: No way to add a content calendar here. I simply use a set of progress tags, in Forever✱notes also called system tags, like #InProgress #ToDo #Done, to keep track of notes and automatically sort them in smart folders.
Notion is capable. Apple Notes is easy.
FINDING STUFF
Apple Notes has good search. Parts inside a note a highlighted when you search. You can add tags like #blog or #2025goals to make search even better. It gets the job done.
Notion: Search is great too, but depending on how many pages you’ve nested within pages within pages, it can feel like spelunking. Also, again, the mobile experience isn’t quite as good.
Apple Notes wins for casual search. Notion wins if you’ve built your own search dashboard with filters and relations and your own blood, sweat, and emojis.
So Could I Rebuild Superwriter in Apple Notes?
Kinda!
Here’s how to hack it:
Will it look as cool? No.
Will it keep you writing instead of fiddling? Possibly yes.
The Bottom Line
Notion is best when you want to think like a CEO: track everything, systematize your content, make connections, scale your workflow.
Apple Notes is best when you want to think like a writer: get the idea down, clean it up, ship it. And add some light organization.
In 2025, there’s no wrong choice — just wrong expectations.
Don’t try to make Apple Notes your CRM. Don’t use Notion as your “quick ideas” scratchpad (unless you love waiting for it to load mid-thought).
Use what fits.
And it those two don’t work, try Obsidian, OneNote, Google Keep, RemNotes… or one of the gazillion other options.
My advice: Use a framework. A system that helps with the first steps of organizing. Forever✱notes clicked with me right away.
And if you do want to use Notion ⬇️
Become a Superwriter
If you’re a blogger, writer, newsletter-er, or content creator, my Superwriter Notion Template might be your perfect home base.
It includes:
A content pipeline that moves with you
Affiliate + income tracking
Goal setting & project dashboards
Simple enough to use. Smart enough to scale.