PM
Asana lets Division admins run their own custom roles, on top Enterprise plans only.
Alternatives · project management tools
NotePlan alternatives
The best NotePlan alternatives in project management tools, ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score.
Updated Nov 13, 2026
Looking for the best alternatives to NotePlan? Sparkpulse tracks and ranks 12 alternatives in project management tools by shipping velocity — how frequently each ships meaningful updates, verified from official changelogs. For reference, NotePlan shipped 0 meaningful updates in the last 30 days and carries a velocity score of 5.0 out of 10 in 2026. The alternatives below are ranked the same way, so you're comparing real release momentum, not marketing claims.
About NotePlan
NotePlan builds MCP into the app and takes Memo AI to the Mac
NotePlan 3.22 ships a built-in MCP server on the Mac, found under Help ▸ AI Connectors, that lets assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Claude Code find, read and update notes, tasks and the calendar. It replaces the earlier Node.js server, needs nothing installed, and works when NotePlan is closed. The release also adds iPhone Duo layouts, a Mac share extension and Siri that adds to existing notes. Memo AI arrived on the Mac the same day, recording meetings without a bot and syncing with the iPhone app, which gained split memos and speaker management in 1.3.1.
Velocity 5.0 · Last update 12d ago
Top 12 alternatives to NotePlan
Ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial breakdown, or pivot to a head-to-head.
COLLAB
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
PM
Tracecat 1.5 alpha patches add sub-cases and lock down agent sandboxes.
PM
SmartSuite adds tracked changes to SmartDocs, so policy edits need an approver.
PM
Atarim turns care plans into scheduled AI work and lets small fixes go live without approval.
PM
Fibery puts MCP setup in one settings page and speeds up entity views and formulas.
PM
NocoBase's v3 beta lets apps ship their own CLI, separate from Agents.
PM
Productboard's v2 documents API now keeps plain web addresses and emoji as ordinary text.
PM
Ever Teams tags dozens of versions a day; most are fixes and test changes.
PM
My Hours 10.3 makes invoice dates editable and lets invoices carry a Detailed report.
PM
Leantime swaps role ranks for real permissions and syncs with your calendar app.
COLLAB
Smartsheet becomes where plans drafted in Claude Sheets get executed.
NotePlan vs alternatives — shipping velocity at a glance
Velocity score (0–10) and meaningful releases shipped in the last 30 days, from official changelogs. Higher = shipping faster.
| Product | Velocity | Sparks · 30d | Focus areas | Latest release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NotePlan (baseline) | 5.0 | 0 | mcpapple-ecosystemvoice-capture | — |
| Asana | 6.3 | 1 | work-managementgovernancepermissions | Introducing: Tables |
| Hive | 6.3 | 0 | project managementreportingbulk actions | — |
| Tracecat | 6.3 | 0 | security-automationai-agentsmulti-tenancy | — |
| SmartSuite | 6.3 | 1 | work managementdocument controlaudit trails | SmartSuite Script Engine |
| Atarim | 6.3 | 1 | agency-workflowai-agentscare-plans | Atarim 5.1.5: build the care plan once, put every client on it |
| Fibery | 6.3 | 1 | work-managementmcpai-agent | AI-built custom integrations (preview), MCP execute_code |
| NocoBase | 5.0 | 0 | no-codeai agentscli | — |
| Productboard | 5.0 | 0 | product-managementapidocuments | EntityType moves from fixed enum to workspace-specific open string |
| Ever Teams | 5.0 | 0 | time-trackingtask-viewsintegrations | — |
| My Hours | 5.0 | 0 | timesheetsinvoicingprofitability | — |
| Leantime | 5.0 | 0 | project-managementself-hostedpermissions | — |
| Smartsheet | 5.0 | 0 | table-viewai-handoffintegrations | — |
The 12 best NotePlan alternatives, in depth
1. Asana · velocity 6.3
Asana lets Division admins run their own custom roles, on top Enterprise plans only.
Over the last 30 days Asana shipped 1 meaningful update vs NotePlan's 0, most recently “Introducing: Tables”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Asana focuses on work management, governance and permissions.
Over the last 30 days Asana has been shipping faster than NotePlan — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
2. Hive · velocity 6.3
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Hive focuses on project management, reporting and bulk actions.
Hive and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
3. Tracecat · velocity 6.3
Tracecat 1.5 alpha patches add sub-cases and lock down agent sandboxes.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Tracecat focuses on security automation, ai agents and multi tenancy.
Tracecat and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
4. SmartSuite · velocity 6.3
SmartSuite adds tracked changes to SmartDocs, so policy edits need an approver.
Over the last 30 days SmartSuite shipped 1 meaningful update vs NotePlan's 0, most recently “SmartSuite Script Engine”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, SmartSuite focuses on work management, document control and audit trails.
Over the last 30 days SmartSuite has been shipping faster than NotePlan — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
Full SmartSuite trajectory → · Compare NotePlan vs SmartSuite →
5. Atarim · velocity 6.3
Atarim turns care plans into scheduled AI work and lets small fixes go live without approval.
Over the last 30 days Atarim shipped 1 meaningful update vs NotePlan's 0, most recently “Atarim 5.1.5: build the care plan once, put every client on it”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Atarim focuses on agency workflow, ai agents and care plans.
Over the last 30 days Atarim has been shipping faster than NotePlan — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
6. Fibery · velocity 6.3
Fibery puts MCP setup in one settings page and speeds up entity views and formulas.
Over the last 30 days Fibery shipped 1 meaningful update vs NotePlan's 0, most recently “AI-built custom integrations (preview), MCP execute_code”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Fibery focuses on work management, mcp and ai agent.
Over the last 30 days Fibery has been shipping faster than NotePlan — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
7. NocoBase · velocity 5.0
NocoBase's v3 beta lets apps ship their own CLI, separate from Agents.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, NocoBase focuses on no code, ai agents and cli.
NocoBase and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
8. Productboard · velocity 5.0
Productboard's v2 documents API now keeps plain web addresses and emoji as ordinary text.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “EntityType moves from fixed enum to workspace-specific open string”.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Productboard focuses on product management, api and documents.
Productboard and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Productboard trajectory → · Compare NotePlan vs Productboard →
9. Ever Teams · velocity 5.0
Ever Teams tags dozens of versions a day; most are fixes and test changes.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Ever Teams focuses on time tracking, task views and integrations.
Ever Teams and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Ever Teams trajectory → · Compare NotePlan vs Ever Teams →
10. My Hours · velocity 5.0
My Hours 10.3 makes invoice dates editable and lets invoices carry a Detailed report.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, My Hours focuses on timesheets, invoicing and profitability.
My Hours and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
11. Leantime · velocity 5.0
Leantime swaps role ranks for real permissions and syncs with your calendar app.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Leantime focuses on project management, self hosted and permissions.
Leantime and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
12. Smartsheet · velocity 5.0
Smartsheet becomes where plans drafted in Claude Sheets get executed.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where NotePlan leans on mcp, apple ecosystem and voice capture, Smartsheet focuses on table view, ai handoff and integrations.
Smartsheet and NotePlan have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Smartsheet trajectory → · Compare NotePlan vs Smartsheet →
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to NotePlan?
The top NotePlan alternatives we currently track in project management tools are Asana, Hive, Tracecat, SmartSuite, Atarim, ranked by recent ship velocity.
How is this list of NotePlan alternatives ranked?
Alternatives are ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score — release cadence + 30-day spark count + sector-relative ship rate.
Can I compare NotePlan directly with one of these alternatives?
Yes — every card has a "Compare with NotePlan" link to a side-by-side /compare page.