Quick Summary
Struggling to choose between Slite, Notion, and You Need A Wiki? In this article, we break down the key differences in setup, usability, and pricing—so you can pick the tool that fits your team. If you’re looking for a faster, simpler way to organize knowledge using Google Docs, You Need A Wiki might be the smartest choice you haven’t considered yet. Feel free to check out our blog for more knowledge management insights.
Slite, Notion or You Need A Wiki—Which Manages Knowledge the Best?
Knowledge remains fragmented in many organizations—with 36% using three or more knowledge tools, and 31% not even knowing how many they use. This is why when managing team knowledge, the right tool saves time and prevents chaos.
In this You Need A Wiki guide, we’ll explore Slite, Notion and our tool to see which best fits your needs and streamlines your workflow. But first…
Why Listen to Us?
At You Need A Wiki, we’re trusted by schools, agencies, and non-profits for our simplicity, speed, and zero learning curve. Built on Google Docs, our tool delivers instant setup, structured navigation, and reliable permissions.
Customers consistently highlight how we improve onboarding and organize information without extra tools.
Slite vs. Notion: Key Differences
Slite and Notion are both all-in-one workspaces, but they differ significantly in structure, flexibility, and intended use.
Slite is built primarily for team communication and internal documentation. It provides a minimal, distraction-free writing experience and a structured, channel-based layout that mimics Slack. It excels in simplicity—great for teams who want a lightweight, focused knowledge base without the complexity of building custom systems.
It also supports asynchronous decision-making, allowing remote teams to share updates, document discussions, and make decisions without needing to meet live.
Notion, in contrast, is a highly flexible productivity platform. It combines docs, databases, kanban boards, calendars, and wikis into one tool. You can use it for everything, from project management to personal task tracking.
It’s positioned as an all-in-one workspace, designed to replace a variety of disconnected tools with a single, fully customizable system.
Their core difference is:
Slite is designed to help teams write and share knowledge quickly, with minimal setup.
Notion aims to centralize work by letting teams build their own systems for docs, tasks, and data.
Simply put, Slite is for teams who want a ready-to-go wiki. Notion is for teams willing to build their own.
What Is Slite?
Slite is an AI-powered knowledge base that helps you create, share, and manage documentation effortlessly. It offers a user-friendly interface that promotes collaboration and ensures information is easily accessible and up-to-date.
Key Features
AI-Powered Search: Quickly retrieve precise information using advanced AI algorithms.
Knowledge Management Panel: Monitor and maintain your documentation with tools to verify, deprecate, or archive content in bulk.
Seamless Integrations: Embed content from over 1,000 apps, including Google Drive, Asana, Trello, and GitHub, consolidating resources in one place.
AI Writing Assistance: Use AI to correct grammar, adjust tone, and summarize content, enhancing document quality and clarity.
Template Library: Access a variety of pre-made templates to jumpstart documentation processes.
Slack Integration: Search and access Slite documents directly from Slack, streamlining workflows.
Pricing
Slite offers the following plans:
Standard ($10 per member/month): Designed for teams managing knowledge at scale.
Premium ($15 per member/month): Built for teams needing enhanced security and user management.
Enterprise (Custom pricing): Tailored for large organizations with advanced needs.
Pros
Intuitive interface
Real-time editing and commenting
Comprehensive integrations
Built for async teams
Cons
Limited customization
The mobile app can be slower compared to the desktop version.
Lacks offline access, requiring an internet connection for full functionality.
What Is Notion?
Notion is an all-in-one productivity platform that combines note-taking, task management, wikis, and databases, well suited as a knowledge base or company wiki. It lets you create customized workspaces tailored to your specific needs, facilitating organization and collaboration within a single interface.
Key Features
Customizable Pages: Design and structure pages to fit various content types, from simple notes to complex databases.
Databases with Multiple Views: Create databases that can be viewed as tables, lists, calendars, or kanban boards, adapting to different project needs.
Rich Media Embeds: Integrate images, videos, code snippets, and files directly into pages for comprehensive documentation.
Collaboration Tools: Share workspaces, assign tasks, comment in real-time, and mention team members to enhance teamwork.
Template Gallery: Access a wide range of pre-built templates to quickly set up pages for different use cases.
Cross-Platform Availability: Use Notion on desktop and mobile devices, with data syncing across platforms.
Pricing
Notion’s pricing goes something like this:
Free ($0/month): Ideal for individuals managing personal tasks and notes.
Plus ($12 per seat/month): Designed for small teams and professionals.
Business ($18 per seat/month): Built for growing teams needing advanced collaboration.
Enterprise (Custom pricing): For organizations with complex security and scalability needs.
You can add Notion AI to any paid plan for $10/user/month, unlocking features like writing assistance, summarization, and smart content generation.
Pros
Scales with custom systems
Collaborative environment
Extensive template library
Cons
Overengineering makes it hard to maintain
Limited offline access
The mobile version lacks some features available on the desktop
Performance issues with large databases
Best Alternative to Slite and Notion: You Need A Wiki
You Need A Wiki (YNAW) is a Google Docs-based wiki that solves the complexity problem common in tools like Slite and Notion. Our tool is built for teams that want to stay fast, organized, and focused, without switching platforms or learning new systems.
Unlike Notion’s all-in-one flexibility or Slite’s structured workspace, You Need A Wiki does one thing extremely well: it makes your Google Docs navigable and accessible through a clean, sidebar-based interface. There’s no new UI, just a smart layer over your existing documents.
It’s especially effective for agencies, schools, and nonprofits already using Google Drive. You get instant setup, no new logins, and no retraining. Your team continues working as they always have, just faster and more efficiently.
Instead of spending hours configuring templates or troubleshooting permissions, You Need A Wiki automatically mirrors your Google Drive structure. Everything stays in sync and secure, using native Google permissions.
Key Features
Instant Google Docs Integration: Automatically connect and organize your existing Google Docs into a wiki without moving files.
Sidebar Navigation: Present a clear, auto-generated sidebar based on your Drive folders for intuitive browsing.
Real-Time Syncing: Reflect updates in Google Docs instantly—no manual sync required.
No Training Required: Use familiar Google Docs tools and interfaces with zero onboarding time.
Access Control via Google: Get Google Drive permissions so your team’s access stays simple and secure.
Custom Branding Options: Apply your logo and colors to personalize your internal wiki.
Fast Search Experience: Search across all linked Google Docs and folders in one place.
Pricing
We use a tiered pricing model based on the total number of users accessing wikis each month.
1 user – Free
Up to 10 users – $19/month
Up to 25 users – $49/month
Up to 75 users – $99/month
All plans include unlimited wikis, and you’re only charged based on the total number of unique users across all wikis. For more than 75 people, you can email us for pricing.
Pros
Works inside Google Docs, no learning curve.
Instant setup with no migration
Flat pricing for unlimited users
Perfect for SOPs, onboarding docs, or school handbooks.
Cons
Limited rich embeds — but keeps everything clean and distraction-free.
Teams not using Google Workspace can’t take advantage — but it's seamless and powerful for Google-first teams.
Slite vs. Notion vs. You Need A Wiki: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Slite | Notion | You Need A Wiki |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Setup & Onboarding | - Simplifies initial setup - Promotes guided usage - Requires minor team alignment | - Supports total customization - Offers flexible templates - Demands manual structure building | - Enables instant setup - Uses existing content - Avoids retraining |
| 2. Navigation & Structure | - Uses channel-based layout - Supports nested pages - Presents linear flow | - Enables freeform hierarchy - Includes databases for linking - Lacks default navigation | - Auto-generates sidebar navigation - Provides clean browsing UX - Requires no custom structuring |
| 3. Collaboration & Access Control | - Supports team comments - Uses workspace roles - Requires platform login | - Offers granular sharing - Supports inline comments and mentions - Manages external guests | - Inherits Google Drive permissions - Avoids new user management - Provides seamless internal sharing |
| 4. Search & Discovery | - Includes AI-powered search - Highlights recent activity - Supports filters by workspace or channel. | - Offers powerful database queries - Finds anything via global search - Improves with usage | - Searches across Google Docs - Displays titles and structure clearly - Updates instantly with Google Docs |
| 5. Integrations & Embeds | - Connects with Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub - Supports content embeds - Lacks deeper automation | - Supports 1,000+ integrations via APIs - Embeds databases, charts, and third-party tools - Facilitates complex workflows | - Works within the Google ecosystem - Supports native Google Docs embeds - Avoids over-integrating |
| 6. Best Use Case | - Internal wikis for small teams - Remote-first documentation - Centralized knowledge bases | - All-in-one productivity - Custom team workflows - Project and knowledge hub | - Fast-access documentation - Google-native teams - No-friction onboarding |
Why Do People Choose You Need A Wiki?
1. Instant Setup with Google Docs
You Need A Wiki connects directly to Google Drive, letting you spin up a wiki in minutes, no data migration and no clunky admin tools to configure. Just pick a folder, and your wiki goes live.
Once connected, the tool auto-generates a wiki-style sidebar using your existing folder structure. Everything updates in real-time as your docs evolve. It’s simple, clean, and self-maintaining.
Here’s how fast the setup really is:
Choose a Google Drive folder.
Grant access to the docs you want to include.
Share your new wiki link with the team.
Done. Your docs are now browsable like a website.
This is especially useful for agencies and nonprofits that don’t have time or headcount to manage yet another platform. For schools and distributed teams, the speed of setup translates into fewer IT requests and faster onboarding. If you already organize lesson plans or policies in Drive, the transition is seamless.
You can even brand your wiki with a custom logo and colors. So, while the backend is Google Docs, the frontend feels like your own product. This is a major bonus for client-facing agencies or schools creating shared portals.
For any team already inside the Google ecosystem, You Need A Wiki is the fastest way to create a real, usable wiki—without switching systems or disrupting workflows. That’s a competitive edge no traditional knowledge base platform offers.
2. Zero Learning Curve
You Need A Wiki removes the friction that slows down tool adoption. Because it’s built on Google Docs, your team already knows how to use it. There’s no new software to learn, no training required, and no confusing interfaces to navigate.
This simplicity matters most for non-technical teams like schools, agencies, and nonprofits. They can’t justify a learning curve just to publish internal docs. You Need A Wiki lets them structure content and share knowledge instantly.
Teams who struggle with adoption in other tools often report better experience with You Need A Wiki because:
Docs live where people already work—inside Google Drive.
No one has to remember another URL, login, or app.
Editing remains real-time and collaborative, just like before.
Admins don’t need to manage roles or permissions—Google handles it.
CTOs appreciate this too. Internal tools often fail not because they’re bad, but because no one uses them. By removing barriers, You Need A Wiki solves that problem elegantly.
It also helps with cross-functional alignment. Since everyone can work from the same platform—marketing, ops, education teams—there’s no tool-specific siloing. Google Docs becomes the universal format, and You Need A Wiki makes it navigable.
You also avoid the hidden costs of platform fatigue. Every new tool adds mental load. By staying inside the Google ecosystem, You Need A Wiki eliminates that entirely.
The result is higher adoption, better documentation habits, and fewer roadblocks to getting knowledge out of people’s heads and into a shareable format. That’s the kind of simplicity that scales.
Speaking of scalability…
3. Effortless Scalability Without Process Disruption
You Need A Wiki scales with your team—without forcing process changes, platform migrations, or tool sprawl. As your organization grows, the system grows with you, adapting to evolving structures and documentation needs.
Unlike tools that need upfront architecture or ongoing reconfiguration, like Notion, You Need A Wiki keeps scaling simple. Add new folders, update your Google Docs, and your wiki reflects those changes instantly.
No manual syncing, no extra admin time.
This is especially powerful for teams that need to stay agile. You don’t need to retrain users or revisit how your documentation is built. The structure remains intuitive because it’s built on your actual content—not forced into rigid templates or block systems.
Benefits of this approach include:
No bottlenecks or downtime when scaling up content
Faster onboarding for new team members
Reduced IT or admin involvement in setup and maintenance
Seamless access and structure as teams grow
Most tools claim to scale—but they also expect you to restructure your workflows around them. You Need A Wiki flips that. It adapts to you.
Document and Manage Knowledge Better with You Need A Wiki
Slite and Notion both offer powerful tools for documentation, but they require setup, structure, and platform adoption. For teams who want a faster, simpler way to organize knowledge, there’s a better fit.
You Need A Wiki turns your existing Google Docs into a clean, structured wiki. Our tool is built for speed, ease, and teams that already live in the Google ecosystem.
Start your wiki in minutes—no setup, no limits, just clarity.