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NotionNext vs Taxonomy

Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.

NotionNext

Open source · MIT

Publish Notion pages as a website using Next.js, with no server of your own to run.

Taxonomy

Open source · MIT

An archived Next.js 13 demo app showing auth, subscriptions and docs with server components.

The short answer

Choose NotionNext if you need…

  • Writers who already keep their posts in Notion and want a website without moving content
  • Developers who want a customizable Next.js site they can modify and extend
  • Small teams that need a product landing page or knowledge base quickly
  • Creators who want a photo or portfolio site using one of the built-in themes

Choose Taxonomy if you need…

  • Developers learning the Next.js App Router and server components
  • Students studying how authentication, a database and payments fit together in one app
  • Developers who want a reference for combining Tailwind CSS and Radix UI components

Side-by-side

NotionNextTaxonomy
TypeAppApp
PriceFree and open sourceFree and open source
LicenceMITMIT
GitHub stars11.9k19.3k
Setup difficultyIntermediateAdvanced
How you get itClone and build from sourceClone and build from source
Main languageJavaScriptTypeScript
Last code update4 days ago7 months ago

What each one is

NotionNext

NotionNext is an open-source site system that turns content you write in Notion (posts, categories, tags, menus, pages) into a public website. It is built with Next.js and the Notion API, and the README describes deploying it to Vercel after forking the repository. People use it to run blogs, portfolios, documentation sites, product landing pages and link directories while keeping Notion as their writing tool.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is a sample web application built with Next.js 13 to explore the new App Router and server components. It includes features common to real apps, such as login, Stripe subscriptions, API routes, and a docs and blog section. The author has archived it, so it is best read as a reference or learning example rather than a maintained product.

Best for

NotionNext

  • Writers who already keep their posts in Notion and want a website without moving content
  • Developers who want a customizable Next.js site they can modify and extend
  • Small teams that need a product landing page or knowledge base quickly
  • Creators who want a photo or portfolio site using one of the built-in themes

Taxonomy

  • Developers learning the Next.js App Router and server components
  • Students studying how authentication, a database and payments fit together in one app
  • Developers who want a reference for combining Tailwind CSS and Radix UI components

Strengths

NotionNext

  • Keeps writing in Notion while the site handles publishing
  • Ships with 26 built-in themes according to the README
  • Source code and configuration live in your own repository, so it can be modified

Taxonomy

  • Covers many real-world app features in one codebase
  • Uses popular open-source tools such as Prisma, NextAuth.js and Tailwind CSS
  • Released under the permissive MIT license

Not ideal for

NotionNext

  • People who want a no-code site with no setup, since the README describes forking a repo and configuring environment variables
  • Users who need to run everything on their own server, because the README's deployment path centers on Vercel
  • Anyone unwilling to install Node.js 22 for local development, since the README says Node 20 cannot install current dependencies

Taxonomy

  • Anyone who needs a production app, because the README says it is not recommended for production and may use deprecated APIs
  • Teams who want ongoing updates, because the project is officially archived and will not receive updates
  • Beginners who have never used React or Next.js, because the code assumes existing familiarity with the framework

Trade-offs

NotionNext

  • Setup requires forking, connecting Vercel and filling in environment variables, which takes technical comfort
  • README is primarily in Chinese; the English version is a separate file (README_EN.md) not included in the excerpt
  • Local development needs Node 22 and Yarn 1, and deployment platforms must also be set to Node 22

Taxonomy

  • Officially archived, so it will not get fixes or updates
  • The README lists known issues, such as a Prisma error on deployment and a broken opengraph-image route
  • Built for Next.js 13 early App Router, so some patterns are outdated

Getting started

NotionNext

Use Node 22

nvm use || nvm install

Install Yarn

npm i -g yarn
Step-by-step guide: how to use NotionNext

Taxonomy

Install dependencies

pnpm install

Copy environment file

cp .env.example .env.local
Step-by-step guide: how to use Taxonomy

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between NotionNext and Taxonomy?

NotionNext: Publish Notion pages as a website using Next.js, with no server of your own to run. Taxonomy: An archived Next.js 13 demo app showing auth, subscriptions and docs with server components. NotionNext suits writers who already keep their posts in notion and want a website without moving content, while Taxonomy suits developers learning the next.js app router and server components.

Are NotionNext and Taxonomy free?

NotionNext: Free and open source. Taxonomy: Free and open source.

Which is easier to set up, NotionNext or Taxonomy?

NotionNext is easier to get started with (rated intermediate); Taxonomy is rated advanced and usually needs more setup.

Is NotionNext or Taxonomy more popular?

Taxonomy has more GitHub stars (19.3k) than NotionNext (11.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.

What are other alternatives to NotionNext and Taxonomy?

Other options people compare them with include NextChat, Cal.diy, giscus, AI Website Cloner.

Keep comparing

Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.