Notion

Ripping you off Stage 3

Notion’s surplus is real: fast iteration, templates, and a flexible model. The switching costs are organizational—wikis, databases, and embeds accrete over time. In 2025 it raised prices and moved AI into the pricier Business plan—cashing in on teams who can’t easily leave. Stage 3.

Since
2016
Category
Productivity
VC-backed
Yes
Public
No
Website
notion.so
X
@NotionHQ

The promise

Its first promise, and how much is kept · Scoring

80% kept

“Docs, Wikis, Tasks. Seamlessly in one.”
Notion homepage, 2017 1 extraction criterion met.

Why it’s rated 3

The criteria it meets, with sources · Method

Alignment 0 of 3
None
Lock-in 1 of 4
  • L3 Hardware or workflow
Extraction 1 of 7
Decline 0 of 3
None

Result Two or more extraction criteria, or lock-in plus at least one, so stage 3.

Rating history

Oct 6, 2026
Downgraded 2 Watch out → 3 Ripping you off

Rescored under Method 2.1. Stage 3 test met by lock-in (L3 Hardware or workflow) plus a documented extraction criterion (E1 Pay more for the same). No decline is documented, which stage 4 requires.

News signals

Sourced reporting, tagged by strategy

May 4, 2026
Notion starts billing credits for Custom Agents
AI upsellEnterprise upsell
Jan 26, 2026
Notion announces $270M employee tender at $11B valuation
Liquidity event
Dec 2, 2025
Notion said to weigh employee share sale at roughly $12B valuation
Liquidity event
May 13, 2025
Notion raises plan prices and moves AI into its pricier Business plan
ARPU growthAI upsell