Switching

From Notion to Plainva

Notion is the one source where it matters which way you come. With an integration token Plainva sees the structure — every database becomes a .base file with one note per row, and relations become links that work in both directions. A ZIP export cannot carry any of that, because Notion does not put the schema in it.

Getting your workspace out

The token path (recommended). Create an integration at notion.so/my-integrations — the import wizard spells out the three steps and opens the page for you.
Connect the pages you want. Open a page in Notion, choose "..." at the top right → Connections, and add your integration. Notion only shows Plainva what you have explicitly connected — nothing else is reachable.
Or export to files. In Notion: Settings → Export all workspace content → Markdown & CSV, with subpages included. This needs no token and works offline, but the databases arrive empty.

What comes across

The page hierarchy, as a folder structure.
Every database as a .base file plus a folder with one note per row.
Relations as wiki links, in both directions — the reverse side is generated too.
21 property types: select, status, multi-select, date, number, checkbox, URL, email, phone, formula, rollup, relation, people, unique ID and more.
Table, board, calendar and list views, generated from the database schema.
Databases embedded in a page stay embedded, as live ![[Database.base]].
Created and modified dates, so a workspace grown over years keeps its time axis.

What does not come across

Attachments and images are not imported. They stay in your export, and the report names them one by one.
The ZIP export creates empty databases. Notion leaves the schema out of it. Pages and folders arrive, and links between imported pages are repointed at the notes Plainva actually wrote — but if your databases matter, use the token path.
Content nested inside toggles, columns or sub-lists is not followed on very long pages.
Formulas and rollups arrive as the value they had at import time, not as a live calculation.

Why bother

Your notes become files

Markdown on your disk, in folders you can see. No export step stands between you and your own writing — the vault is the export.

The databases stay databases

A .base file is a view over your notes, not a container holding them hostage. The rows are ordinary notes; delete the .base and the notes remain.

It works with the internet off

Everything runs locally. Sync is optional and goes through storage you already pay for — there is no Plainva server in the middle.

Try it with a copy first

The import can write into a brand-new vault, so nothing you already have can be touched — and undoing the whole thing is deleting one folder.

Download Plainva Read the import guide

Coming from: Evernote · Google Keep · Obsidian