Notion Alternative – Bring the Notion Experience to Local Folders with Tokie
Looking for a Notion alternative?
Keep the Notion vibe—without leaving your local drive
You love Notion’s clean databases, inline embeds, and effortless re-ordering of everything.
But sometimes—whether you’re offline, handling sensitive files, or just stuck inside a company that bans cloud apps—you can’t (or won’t) use Notion itself. That doesn’t mean you have to give up the workflow you’ve grown to love.
Enter Tokie. It turns any macOS folder into a mini-Notion page:
- Custom fields on files and sub-folders (just like database properties)
- Rich previews of Markdown, images, PDFs, even live websites—all inline
- Drag-to-reorder, filter, sort, and view options that feel instantly familiar
Below you’ll find a practical map for migrating a folder-level workflow from Notion to Tokie, plus real-world examples to show the swap in action.
1. Why you might need a local-first twin of Notion
| Situation | Why Notion is tricky | Why Tokie helps |
|---|---|---|
| No internet, spotty Wi-Fi | Notion’s cache lets you edit only pages you opened before going offline. New stuff is locked. | Tokie is installed software; every file is local. Nothing to “sync” before a flight. |
| Large binary files (design assets, videos) | Notion stores them as uploads—slow and can bloat workspace size limits. | Keep originals exactly where they live; Tokie just previews them. |
| Strict data policies / NDAs | Some teams can’t put IP on SaaS servers. | Files stay on-device or behind your VPN. |
| One-time purchase > subscription | Notion is SaaS; leave and you lose access. | Tokie is a lifetime licence. |
Notion is great, this is just to show you when you are working in your local folder environments when Notion can't reach, you still have a great option to continue with that smooth block based managing experience.
2. Mapping your Notion mental model to Tokie
| Notion concept | Tokie counterpart | How to recreate it |
|---|---|---|
| Page | Folder | Create / drag an existing folder into Tokie. |
| Database | Folder with custom columns | Click “+ Field” to add Status, Tags, Due Date, etc. |
| Database view (Table, Kanban, Gallery) | Saved sorted presets | Set order by clicking on header to manually adjust order and inline display |
| Blocks inside a page(with embeds) | Inline file previews | Expand Markdown or a website URL directly into the folder list. |
| Side-peek with pages | Side-peek panelfor file preview | Open weblink, code scripts or files to preview and edit them in the side peek panel. |
This image below shows the blocks in Notion and in Tokie, with a side by side comparison.
3. Step-by-step migration: a weekend test
- Pick a high-friction folder—design system, client evidence, research PDFs.
- Open in Tokie → “Add Fields.” Mimic the properties you used in your Notion database.
- Drag to reorder items or expand markdowns to create custom layout.
- Embed references—paste Notion page links back in the side-peek so you can jump both ways.
No imports, no exports. Everything stays where your operating system already expects it.
Tokie works out of the box, all your folders works where they are, no need to import anything into Tokie.
4. Workflow examples
| Use case | Typical Notion flow | Tokie-based equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Design asset library | Upload PSD/AI files into a giant Notion table; preview only thumbnails. | Keep PSD/AI in the team drive → tag with “Status,” “Brand,” “Designer” fields; Tokie shares the custom fields cross devices. |
| Legal due-diligence binder | Split PDFs across multiple Notion pages; large files slow to load. | Store PDFs in case folder → add “Type,” “Reviewed ✓” fields; Tokie’s built-in PDF reader is instant and offline. |
| Indie-dev documentation | Write docs in Notion while code lives on disk; constant context-switch. | Keep Markdown README, screenshots, and a live localhost preview in the same Tokie view—one pane for code + docs. |
5. Keep both, or go all-in?
Tokie isn’t a “Notion killer.” Think of it as a local-first sibling:
- Continue using Notion for cloud-native docs, shared wikis, quick web edits.
- Use Tokie when files and folders—not pages—are the heart of the project.
- Cross-link freely: Tokie items accept Notion URLs, use Tokie as the center hub of your projects, and add scattered Notion links to the right location.
Try the hybrid for a week. You’ll still enjoy the Notion-like experience—just on your own terms, inside your own folders.
Download Tokie below with a free trial.
Ready to try Tokie?
Transform your file management experience with Tokie's powerful features.