The Problem
Why teams leave Notion
Per-seat pricing for a knowledge base is hard to justify org-wide
AI costs $10/user/month extra
Performance degrades with large workspaces
Limited permissions and access controls on lower tiers
Search is inconsistent across large databases
No offline support on the free tier
What We Build Instead
Your custom knowledge & docs tool
Knowledge base and wiki with unlimited users
Databases, documents, and project views
AI-powered search and summarization built-in
Granular permissions and team spaces
Fast performance regardless of workspace size
Offline support and real-time collaboration
The Math
Notion vs. custom build
Based on 75 seats at $15/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Notion
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 75 seats
-$6,200
-14% less than Notion
Pricing Breakdown
Notion tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Notion's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus | $8/mo | $8/mo | Unlimited blocks, Unlimited file uploads, 30-day version history, 100 guests |
| Business | $15/mo | $15/mo | SAML SSO, Private teamspaces, Bulk export, 250 guests |
| Enterprise | $25/mo | $25/mo | Advanced security, Audit log, SCIM provisioning, Unlimited version history |
| AI Add-on | $10/mo | $10/mo | AI writing assistant, AI autofill, AI search, AI Q&A |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $25,000–$45,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Notion to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Notion in 6-10 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
1 weekAudit workspace structure, databases, templates, and integration usage
Architecture & Design
1-2 weeksDesign knowledge base with database engine and collaboration features
Core Development
3-5 weeksBuild document editor, databases, views, search, and permission system
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksMigrate pages, databases, and test collaboration and search quality
Deployment & Training
1 weekLaunch platform and onboard teams to new workspace
Total build time
6-10 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Notion features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Notion | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documents & Pages | |||
| Databases & Views | |||
| Real-time Collaboration | |||
| Templates | |||
| Full-text Search | |||
| Permissions & Teamspaces | |||
| File Uploads & Embeds | |||
| API & Integrations | |||
| AI Features | Built-in AI without per-user add-on pricing | ||
| Notion Template Gallery | Custom templates built for your workflows | ||
| Offline Support | Full offline editing with sync on reconnect |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Notion offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Notion to ownership in 6-10 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Notion usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom knowledge & docs tool with only the features you need. 6-10 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Notion, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.