Coda vs Notion: Automations and buttons

How the two tools compare when it comes to taking repetitive tasks off your plate.

Jordan Milner

Solutions Architect at Coda

Coda vs Notion: Automations and buttons

By Jordan Milner

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Tool consolidation · 6 min read
Productivity tools like Notion and Coda help you save time by completing repetitive, tedious tasks for you. They do that through two methods: automations and buttons. Automations are based on rules: when X happens, the automation does Y. For example, whenever a user submits a demo request, an automation could create a follow-up task in your CRM. In Coda, automations have two parts: when and then. By setting these parameters, you tell the automation exactly which triggers to act on and what tasks to complete. Buttons, however, follow a set of predetermined actions. Once pressed, the button might add a row to a table, change the status of a task, or open a row for editing. Buttons get their superpowers when they’re connected to the other tools you use. For example, buttons can send Slack reminders to your team, update Salesforce records, and even press other buttons that trigger more actions. Let’s take a look at how automations and buttons work in Notion and Coda. Both tools include these capabilities, but which is best for you depends on how you plan to use them.

An overview of automations in Notion and Coda.

 Notion and Coda take different approaches to automations. In Notion, automations are separate from buttons but, in Coda, automations are built on the same foundation as buttons. Coda’s automations also have full access to formula actions and Pack actions, and can also press buttons.
Notion
  • Automations exist at the database level.
  • Each table can trigger multiple automations.
  • Automations can:
    • Edit rows/pages in databases.
    • Add rows/pages to databases.
    • Send Slack notifications.
  • With the exception of Slack notifications, database automations cannot be created without a paid plan.
Coda
  • Automations exist at the doc level.
  • Automations live outside of any specific table.
  • Automations can:
    • Edit rows/pages in tables.
    • Add rows/pages to tables.
    • Send Slack and Teams notifications.
    • Send emails via Gmail or Outlook.
    • Be triggered via Webhooks.
    • Be time-based (hourly/daily/monthly/etc.).
    • Press buttons.
    • Take action based on formulas.
  • The free tier includes unlimited automations.
With this general setup in mind, let’s go through a few of the most common use cases for automations and how Notion and Coda handle them.

Automating Google Calendar events.

 Creating events and sending out invites can be tedious, especially if your team has a lot of meetings. Automations can take those tasks off of your already full plate.
Notion
  • You can embed a view-only Google Calendar in Notion.
  • You cannot build automations that interact with Google Calendar.
Coda
  • With the Google Calendar Pack, you can build automations that trigger buttons to create, update, and delete events in Google Calendar.
  • Everything is automatically synced with your Google Calendar.
In Coda, for example, you can crowdsource the best time for your next team meeting by letting your team cast their votes using a voting table. Once you’ve reached a consensus, set up an automation via the Google Calendar Pack to create the event and send invites.

Automating emails.

 Tired of writing and sending dozens of emails a day? Automations can do both for you.
Notion
  • You can write email copy using AI in Notion.
  • Notion offers no native functionality to send or receive emails. You must use middleware like Make.com or Zapier.
Coda
  • You can write email copy using Coda AI.
  • Coda can natively send and retrieve emails via the Gmail and Outlook Packs.

Automating reminders.

 Keep your team—and yourself—on track by automating reminders about meetings, tasks, project deadlines, and company events.
Notion
  • Notion supports native reminders that can be set in-line on pages and within databases.
  • Notion can automate reminders using Slack when using database automations.
Coda
  • Coda includes native reminders that can be automated.
  • Coda can push reminders through other apps like Slack, Teams, Gmail, and more.

Automating data.

 Stay on top of changes to your data and create visualizations and charts instantly.
Notion
  • You can connect Notion to an outside data source and automatically sync your data into a raw database.
  • Notion doesn’t include native charting or data visualizations.
  • As data is added and modified in Notion, notifications can be automatically sent out to your teams via Slack.
Coda
  • You can connect Coda to your data sources like Salesforce, Snowflake, and Google Analytics via Packs.
  • Coda’s native charts and library of integrations let you create dashboards that automatically update.
  • Coda users can automate the sharing of data (via email, Slack, etc.) to their teams and set up automations to notify them when data does something (i.e., increases by more than 10%).

An overview of buttons in Notion vs Coda.

 Once pressed, buttons take specific actions for you. In Notion, they work well for simple tasks. In Coda, however, they’re more flexible and capable of additional procedures, like referencing table columns and canvas controls, and even connecting with external tools through Packs. The table below shows how the button capabilities of the two tools compare.
Notion
  • Buttons can be easily added to a page.
  • Buttons can be easily added to a database.
  • Button formatting options are limited.
  • At the time of writing, buttons can only take 5 actions.
  • The UI makes it easy to stack multiple actions under a button but you are limited as to what they can do.
  • Formulas cannot be used within button actions.
  • Notion buttons aren’t capable of sending data to other tools.
Coda
  • Buttons can be easily added to a canvas.
  • Buttons can be easily added to tables.
  • Buttons are fully customizable.
  • Buttons can take an unlimited number of actions.
  • You can chain multiple actions together by creating multiple buttons and using the “push buttons” action or RunActions().
  • Buttons can be formulaic so single buttons can do different things.
  • You can connect Coda buttons to 600+ Pack integrations, allowing Coda to take action in hundreds of other applications.

Why teams choose Coda over Notion for automations and buttons.

 Being able to customize processes, set up workflows, and connect to other tools is critical for teams trying to take boring, repetitive tasks off their plate. Coda’s automations and buttons check all the boxes for large enterprises, growing teams, and individuals. If you’re an individual or small team looking for a note-taking app or a place to store your company’s vacation policy, however, you might not need much power and flexibility. If that’s the case, Notion offers “no frills” automations and buttons that can help you accomplish those goals. Want to learn more about how Notion and Coda compare? Check out our comprehensive Notion vs Coda Evaluation Guide for the full rundown of where each tool shines.
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