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Feature Comparison (Summary)
Feature Comparison (Summary)
Coda and Dropbox Paper are often used to help with project notes and management. This guide helps you compare the two.
View of Coda and Paper Feature Comparison Matrix
Category
Feature
Coda
Paper
Notes
Collaboration
13
Doc-like surface for writing text (notes, meeting minutes, bulleted lists, etc.)
Both Paper and Coda start as a doc, like a Google Doc, so you can write long-form memos, meeting notes, to-do lists and other text-based content.
Task-tracking tables (text)
With Dropbox Paper, you can create a text table. Any tasks will need to be updated by deleting and re-writing the text. Paper allows highlighting and some lightweight text formatting manually.
Coda accomplishes this with database tables that can easily hold any type of data, including text. Data can be formatted automatically to highlight or color code a certain category.
Task-tracking tables (other data types)
With Dropbox Paper, the table fields are text.
With Coda, Column types can be customized to hold, easily sort and populate all types of data.
Tagging and commenting
In both tools, users can @[name] mention a colleague on the doc or in a comment. These mentions can be viewed on the doc, or via a summary of all comments.
Collaborative surface (editing in real-time)
Mobile (iOS, Android)
Both products support mobile editing.
Visibility of other doc viewers
Both products allow you to see when someone else is looking at a doc.
In Coda, hovering over an avatar shows where in the doc that user is looking, and clicking on a user’s avatar will take you to the same spot.
Automations / workflow (i.e. send email update on regular cadence)
In Coda, you can set up time-based or row-changed based automations. These can be further customized with packs. (Some great examples available in ).
Buttons for app-like functionality
In Coda, buttons can perform specific functions, such as adding a row to a table or notifying another user.
Automations to schedule triggered updates
File uploads
In Paper, files stored in Dropbox and select other file types can be uploaded and embedded.
In Coda, files from Dropbox, your desktop, and other files can be uploaded. "Images & files” is a column type available in Coda.
Image uploads
In both tools, images can be uploaded or embedded.
Templates
Both Paper and Coda have templates available for teams to get started.
Coda templates include those available in the that can be copied, as well as in-doc templates accessible via /
Visualization
6
Per-user view
Coda has "My View" and "Team View". With Coda, this can be added using the 'User()' filter, which filters a table or view to the currently logged in person, so it's dynamic depending on who is looking at it. In Paper, you would need to create a separate doc and copy/paste the information to view it a different way.
Gantt View
Paper has a timeline function with some similarities to a Gantt chart. If data is inputted in this view, it cannot be converted to another format or view.
Coda tables can create a Gantt view, which can easily be changed again back into other viewing options such as charts or a calendar view.
Calendar View
Kanban View
Additional chart view (bar, graph, line, bubble, pie)
Animations when tasks complete
A status change on a table can trigger automations such as updating other data or notifying a user.
Integrations
7
Gmail integration
With the Dropbox Gmail integration, you can save file attachments and Dropbox links from Gmail directly into your Dropbox account and add files directly from your Dropbox account to an email.
With the Coda Gmail integration, you can create automations, tables that sort specific emails, and more. (More details available
.)Slack integration
Figma integration
Intercom integration
Google Calendar integration
The Paper integration with Google Calendar allows you to link your Paper doc directly to a meeting invite.
In Coda, events can be pulled from Google Calendar to generate tables and other data, allowing further formatting and filtered views.
GitHub Integration
API for other 3rd party integrations
Dropbox has an open API, but depending on the need, there may not be API capabilities for Paper specifically.
Administration
4
Alerts - within projects, or across projects
In Paper, users can be notified when docs they own are updated, or when they are tagged.
In Coda, these alerts can be automated so that when only specific data is changed (e.g. a project is marked “in danger” or “completed”), certain individuals are notified.
Permissions - Lock down editing to specific users
In Paper, the setting applies to the entire doc and is edit or view access.
In Coda, permissions can be toggled at the subpage level, and configured to edit, view, or interact only.
Workspace administration - invite users at the org level
Free plans
Both products support free plans to get started.
Coda's free plan features many more of its core features than does Dropbox Paper’s.
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