Notion Database vs. Page
Unraveling the Differences
Are you new to Notion?
Have you wondered what’s the difference between pages and databases or how they even work together?
First of all, why should you know? If you’re a small business owner looking to set up your Notion system and trying to minimize spending then this is a MUST KNOW.
Here’s an illustration that showcases the relationship between
Workspace
Page
Database
Text, Table, Image etc….
Workspace
Although not exactly, you can imagine Workspace as your account. It’s possible to have multiple workspaces in 1 Notion account. Although most people usually stick to their own workspace. Everything that you create in Notion will be inside this workspace unless you switch.
Page
This is probably the most confusing part about Notion since there is no 1-to-1 comparison to traditional software such as Microsoft Word, Excel etc... The closest I can think of is to imagine a Page = Folder. However, this is a special Folder where you can write, and attach videos & images inside it. This essentially allows you to create a page inside a page.
Company Hub → Project Management | Finance | HR → Tasks
Database
Now comes the even more confusing part (I lied earlier). A Database is a Page, but it can also be part of a Page just like any text, video & image. The way you can think of it is that a Database can be a Page, but a Page cannot be a Database.
When you create a new Database item/ entry, it will be automatically considered as a Page as well. This basically means 1 Database can hold hundreds of pages inside it.
Text, Table, Images etc…
Finally the last part…the simplest element of any note-taking tool. This is can included in all the Pages, but not Database since at its core it’s a Table, not a note-taking interface.
Soo….why do you need to care? knowing what Workspace, Page & Database can help you better informed on when to Share a page with others and what Notion plans to subscribe, which will come in the next few articles :)