How Coda and Grammarly Reworked Our Information Base

As a digital company proprietor and Grammarly Ambassador, I’m all the time searching for instruments that allow my staff to work smarter, not more durable. After years of utilizing Notion as our inner information base, rising prices and underutilized options had me questioning whether or not we have been getting the perfect worth for our cash.

That’s when Coda entered the image—not as a shiny new toy, however as a sensible resolution found by my connection to the Grammarly neighborhood. As a longtime Grammarly Ambassador, I used to be intrigued by Grammarly’s acquisition of Coda. The partnership signaled that this wasn’t simply one other productiveness device; it was one thing that aligned with Grammarly’s mission of empowering clear and efficient communication.

What began as curiosity a couple of Grammarly-acquired device developed into an entire migration from Notion to Coda, which solved issues I didn’t even understand we had.

When Notion not match

For years, Notion was our central hub for SOPs (customary working procedures), challenge documentation, and staff sources at my company, The Blogsmith. However as my company grew, so did the friction factors:

• Price creep with out corresponding worth. Whereas Notion permits free visitor customers to edit, you want a paid plan to ask any collaborators, even free ones, which forces admins to pay for primary entry administration, no matter person wants.
• Function overlap with present instruments. We have been paying for relational database performance we already had coated with Airtable, and for integration capabilities we weren’t absolutely using.
• Entry management limitations. As a enterprise proprietor, I didn’t wish to restrict staff enlargement, however Notion’s mannequin prevented me from delegating admin duties with out rising paid seats, which restricted division heads from updating their information paperwork.

Actual worth, not simply options

My first impression of Coda was that it felt like Notion’s extra related, technically subtle cousin. The interface was clear and acquainted, however there was one thing extra dynamic about it—much less static doc, extra interactive workspace.

Versatile free plan that scales with actual wants

The pricing mannequin instantly caught my consideration:

• Doc makers (who create new docs and pages) are paid customers
• Editors (who collaborate on present docs) are all the time free
• Viewers have limitless entry without charge

This construction completely matched my workflow wants: I may create the foundational docs, whereas my division heads may edit and keep their sections with out further licensing prices.

It’s additionally value noting that Coda’s free plan provides outstanding worth:

• Limitless doc measurement for unshared paperwork
• 1 GB storage per doc (in comparison with Notion’s 5 MB file add restrict on free)
• Zapier integration capabilities
• Limitless types for exterior knowledge assortment
• Fundamental automations and cross-doc syncing

For a cost-conscious enterprise proprietor, this meant I may migrate our inner documentation with out instantly leaping to a paid plan, then scale up solely once we wanted superior options.

Paperwork that really feel like apps

Coda’s “docs as apps” philosophy means our information base isn’t simply static info—it’s interactive. Group members can use built-in buttons to mark coaching as full, submit suggestions by embedded types, and set off automated workflows that maintain everybody knowledgeable of updates. This interactivity transforms passive documentation into lively workflow instruments, which our staff truly desires to have interaction with fairly than simply reference.

Native Grammarly integration

For information work, having Grammarly constructed into your documentation platform isn’t simply handy, it’s transformative. Our staff already depends on Grammarly for consumer work and inner communications, so having that very same writing help embedded all through our inner documentation creates consistency throughout all our written content material. This integration means our SOPs, challenge briefs, and inner documentation keep the identical skilled customary as our consumer deliverables, with out the friction of copying and pasting between instruments.

The sudden advantages of switching to Coda

• A surprisingly clean knowledge migration: I anticipated the migration course of to be painful. It wasn’t. Notion’s export function permits you to obtain total folder buildings as HTML information, together with all subpages and linked content material. Coda’s import device dealt with these information seamlessly. I merely uploaded the zipped export, and inside minutes, my information base was reconstructed with its formatting intact, hyperlinks preserved, and no handbook cleanup required. What impressed me most? The migration preserved our present info structure whereas making all the pieces really feel extra responsive and interactive.
• Higher entry management with out complexity: Coda’s permission system elegantly solved our safety considerations. Totally different departments can entry related info with out seeing delicate knowledge from different areas. For instance, our bookkeeping staff sees monetary procedures however not advertising and marketing methods, whereas our content material creators entry consumer fashion guides however not delicate administrative consumer particulars.
• Group and assist: The Coda neighborhood supplied wonderful onboarding sources. With the ability to study alongside different professionals making related transitions created a supportive atmosphere that made the swap really feel much less dangerous.
• Secure pricing in an unstable market: Whereas Notion’s pricing has elevated sharply and regularly, Coda has maintained steady pricing all through 2024 and 2025, as of the time of publication. For a enterprise proprietor watching each expense, this predictability issues.

Extra than simply documentation

After switching to Coda, I’ve additionally found its potential for consumer portals, enabling purchasers to entry challenge documentation, submit suggestions, and monitor progress with out modifying entry to our inner programs. This versatility enhances effectivity by serving a number of enterprise capabilities by a single platform, thereby streamlining operations.

Switching information administration instruments is usually a headache, however my transition from Notion to Coda was seamless, yielding quick price financial savings and useful enhancements. For fellow Grammarly customers contemplating their choices, Coda delivers real worth that scales along with your wants with out forcing you to pay for unused options. Generally, the perfect device is just the one that matches your precise workflow.

As a Grammarly Ambassador, Maddy French skilled firsthand how the precise instruments can remodel communication and productiveness. Coda embodies the identical philosophy utilized to information administration: highly effective while you want it, easy while you don’t, and priced pretty all through your progress journey.