Dock: the Notion alternative you host yourself
- Real-time chat and calls. Dock has a messenger and meetings.
- Self-hosted. Notion runs only as a hosted service.
- No per-seat fee. You pay your server.
- All in one workspace. Chat, meetings, docs, Base, calendar, tasks, drive and AI agents together.
- Honest limits. Where Notion is stronger, the table says so.
Why choose Dock over Notion
| Detailed comparison |  Dock | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and limits | ||
| Price per member | No per-seat fee. Free to self-host; you pay your own server (about $20/month, estimate) | Free $0; Plus $10; Business $20; Enterprise custom (per member / month; yearly billing saves up to 20%) |
| Where it runs | Your server. One Node process, one SQLite file | Vendor cloud |
| File upload size | Set by your server | Free: 5 MB; paid plans: unlimited (about 5 GB per file) |
| Page and doc version history | ✓Yes (version history in Docs) | Free 7 days, Plus 30 days, Business 90 days, Enterprise unlimited |
| Guests | ✗Not built | Free: 10 guests; paid plans: unlimited guests |
| Docs and data | ||
| Docs and wiki | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Databases (tables, boards, calendar views) | ✓Base: grid, kanban, gallery, calendar, timeline | ✓Yes |
| Team chat and video meetings | ✓Built in | ✗Comments only; no built-in meetings |
| AI and automation | ||
| AI agents in your workspace | ✓MCP server and bot API: connect Claude, Codex, Cursor and more | Notion AI trial on Free and Plus; Notion Agent and AI Meeting Notes on Business |
| Security and data | ||
| Single sign-on (SSO) | ✗Not available | ✓SAML SSO on Business and Enterprise |
| You own and can move your data | ✓One SQLite file you can back up and move | ✗Vendor-hosted |
Notion figures are from Notion's public pricing page, viewed 14 October 2026. Plans change: check the vendor for current details.
Notion plans, side by side with Dock
Dock
- Docs, wiki, Base, chat, meetings, tasks
- Bots, API and MCP server for AI agents
- Admin console, 2-step login, audit log
- No seat cap from us
Notion Free
- 10 guests
- 5 MB file uploads
- 7 days of page history
- Notion AI trial
Notion Plus
- Unlimited guests
- Unlimited uploads (about 5 GB per file)
- 30 days of page history
- Notion AI trial
Notion Business
- 90 days of page history
- SAML SSO
- Notion Agent and AI Meeting Notes
- Unlimited guests
Notion Enterprise
- Unlimited page history
- SAML SSO
- Zero data retention with LLM providers
Notion figures are from Notion's public pricing page, viewed 14 October 2026. Plans change: check the vendor for current details.
See how much you could save
All-in-one, self-hosted
Dock
Messenger
Meetings
Docs
Wiki
Base
Calendar
Tasks
Drive
Bots & MCPSee Dock in action
Real screenshots of Dock with a fictional team.
Who should choose which
Choose Dock if: Teams that want docs, tables and chat in one self-hosted place.
Choose Notion if the stronger points in the table are what you need. Product details change, so check Notion's current plans and documentation before you decide.
Questions
Can I import Notion pages?
Export to Markdown or HTML and import into Docs.
Is Dock cheaper than Notion?
Dock has no per-seat fee; you pay for your own server. Whether that is cheaper depends on your team size and what you pay Notion. Use the savings calculator above with your own prices.