Keep Notion for notes and anything you want to design yourself. Use Secretariat for the dated to-do list, since it fills itself from Canvas, your syllabi and your apps, including Notion.
Side by side
| Secretariat | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A day-by-day to-do list and calendar built from Canvas, your syllabi, your calendars and the apps you already use. | An all-in-one workspace for notes, databases and templates. Students build their own planner in it. |
| Price | Free plan. Student Pro $8.99 a month, $29.99 a semester or $49.99 a year. | Education Plus is free for one member with a college email. Plus is $10 a member a month billed yearly. Full Notion AI is on the Business plan. |
| Where it runs | Web app in any browser, including on your phone's home screen, plus a Chrome extension. Native iPhone app coming soon. | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. |
| Canvas and other school systems | Canvas, connected in one tap with the Chrome extension. Google Classroom. Moodle, Blackboard and Brightspace by calendar link. | No official Canvas integration. Third-party tools exist. |
| Reads syllabi | Yes. When the syllabus and Canvas disagree, the to-do lands on the syllabus date, except where that could make you late. | No built-in syllabus reading. You type the dates in, or set up Notion AI yourself. |
Notion facts checked October 2026 from Notion pricing, Canvas Community: Notion integration, Notion Education Plus summary. Prices change, so check their site before you buy.
Where Notion is better
- Notion is far more flexible: notes, databases, templates and pages built your way.
- Education Plus is free for one member with a college email.
- Notion has native apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Secretariat's iPhone and Mac apps are coming soon.
Where Secretariat is better
- Secretariat brings in Canvas assignments automatically. Notion has no official Canvas integration, so you type work in or use a third-party tool.
- Secretariat reads each class's syllabus and puts work on the syllabus day when Canvas is wrong. Notion has no built-in syllabus reading.
- Secretariat connects to Notion, so the tasks you keep there show up in the same list as Canvas, Outlook and Slack.
Which one to pick
Pick Notion alone if you enjoy building your own system and don't mind entering due dates.
Pick Secretariat, alongside Notion if you like, if you want the list to fill itself in.
Common questions
- Can I use Notion and Secretariat together?
- Yes. Connect Notion in Secretariat and your Notion tasks join your Canvas work in one list. See which apps connect.
- Is Notion free for students?
- Education Plus is free for one member with a college email, and you re-verify each year. Secretariat is free to start with no card and doesn't need a school email on the free plan.
- Does Notion read syllabi?
- Not on its own. You type the dates in or set up Notion AI. Secretariat reads each class's syllabus for you. See does it read syllabi.
JoinFree to start, no card. See pricing