Compare
BTW vs Notion and spreadsheets for documenting AI work
Notion and spreadsheets are the do-it-yourself approach most teams start with. Here is how they compare with BTW, feature by feature, for keeping the record behind AI work.
In short
The do-it-yourself starting point
Notion and spreadsheets are flexible, familiar and quick to set up. You design the fields and connections between the media, generation details and review decisions, adding data manually or through your chosen integrations. BTW is purpose-built around those connections, with assets, versions and production context in the same workspace.
Feature by feature
BTW next to Notion and spreadsheets
Each row is a concrete capability you can check. The left column is what BTW does; the right is the other option, with credit where it is due.
Capability
BTW
Notion or a spreadsheet
- Prompt, model and seed captured
BTW
Add the asset and its available prompt, model and seed through explicit capture, upload or a supported workflow. The extension saves what you choose to add.
Notion or a spreadsheet
You define fields or columns and populate them manually, by import or through configured integrations.
- Version lineage kept
BTW
Every version stays linked to its shot in the order it was made, on the workflow canvas.
Notion or a spreadsheet
Versions live wherever you paste or upload them, and the link between attempts is whatever structure you keep up yourself.
- Hold, kill or final decision recorded
BTW
You set one version as final and mark the rest held or killed, and that decision stays on the shot.
Notion or a spreadsheet
You can mark status with a tag or column that you define and keep current yourself.
- References and rights status
BTW
Reference images attach to the shot with their rights status recorded next to them.
Notion or a spreadsheet
You can attach or link reference images and note their rights in a field you maintain.
- EU AI Act disclosure, answerable
BTW
Keep the production details and disclosure decision your team adds together. This supports an Article 50 assessment; the team still determines applicability and carries out any required disclosure.
Notion or a spreadsheet
There is no built-in AI Act record, so the structure and the upkeep are yours to design.
- Client handoff with context
BTW
Share the selected final and the production context included in your delivery or dossier. Inspect the scope before sharing; the record is as complete as the information supplied.
Notion or a spreadsheet
You share a page or a sheet, and the record is as complete as what you entered by hand.
- Search across prompts
BTW
Search runs across the prompts and records of every asset, across the tools you generated in.
Notion or a spreadsheet
Full-text search covers whatever you have typed into the document.
- Works on top of your existing AI tools
BTW
BTW complements your existing AI tools. Your team adds external work through explicit capture or upload; supported generation workflows can also create assets in BTW.
Notion or a spreadsheet
It sits alongside any tool, since you copy the details into it yourself.
The honest part
When Notion or a spreadsheet is the right choice
If you want a flexible place to write, plan and occasionally record an AI asset, a Notion database or spreadsheet can be enough. BTW earns its place when maintaining the links between assets, generation context, versions and client decisions becomes a routine production job.
FAQ
BTW and Notion, answered
- Can I not just track my AI work in Notion or a spreadsheet?
- You can. Notion and spreadsheets let you design the record and its fields. BTW provides a workspace built around assets, generation context, versions and decisions. Both need information from your team or supported integrations; the advantage is the connected workflow, not invisible collection from external tools.
- Does BTW replace Notion?
- No. Notion is a general workspace for notes, docs and planning, and BTW does not try to be that. BTW is a focused layer for AI provenance that sits next to whatever you use to write and plan. Many teams keep Notion for documents and use BTW for the record behind each AI asset.
- Can BTW support EU AI Act disclosure work?
- Yes. Article 50 has applied transparency and disclosure duties since 2 August 2026, but it does not prescribe a production document. BTW records the prompt, model, references, versions, disclosure decision and approval behind each shot, giving teams a practical evidence layer without claiming that the export itself guarantees legal compliance.
Sources
Check the actual configuration
This comparison is published by the makers of BTW. Sources support the product descriptions; recommendations are our judgment. Compare the plans, configured fields and share settings you will actually use. Metadata capabilities were checked on 6 September 2026.
Your production test
Compare one real production task
Use one asset from your current sheet. Add its prompt and references, keep a revised version, and record the client decision. Compare how easily another person can retrieve the same context in each workspace.