Notion is one of the best tools for taking notes on the web. Besides functioning well, it also allows you to create more aesthetically pleasing pages than many of its competitors.

You can find plenty of Notion templates for free—but if you want to really step up your note-taking game, you may wish to consider buying one. Users can sell their own to others, meaning that you can also support your favorite creators.

But before buying a Notion template, you must stop and consider whether your investment is worthwhile. Here are eight questions to consider asking yourself.

1. What Will You Use This Notion Template For?

This question might seem obvious, but it’s important to ask nonetheless—because many people do not. Before buying a Notion template, you must understand what role it will play in your note-taking or project management.

Not all Notion templates were created equally, and you should ensure that you’re going to get some use out of them. Before purchasing the template, consider waiting 72 hours to make your decision rational. If you still think it’ll be useful after that time, the chances are that you’ll find it handy.

2. Are There Free Alternatives That Are Just as Good, If Not Better?

Although you will find a wide variety of paid templates in Notion, those aren’t your only option. You can download several free templates, and Notion has released several that you can easily use within the app.

Many of the free templates in Notion will help you achieve your desired end result. Some are just as good as their paid counterparts, and you could argue that others actually work better. Consider looking at your options before purchasing one; if you still think that the paid version is a better approach after that, then go ahead and buy it.

3. Is the Template User-Friendly?

Notion is a user-friendly platform, and you won’t need to worry about a huge learning curve, as you’ll still use the app for your templates. However, some templates are trickier to navigate than others—and they can become a source of frustration if you aren’t careful.

Before buying a Notion template, consider whether you’ll need to do things you might not be too comfortable with—such as using dropdown menus. You might find value in purchasing the template if you think learning how to use them is worth it. However, if you don’t want to deal with these issues, consider looking for alternatives.

4. Are You Going to Use All of the Features in Your Notion Template?

This point somewhat ties in with what we mentioned above, but it’s worth thinking about nonetheless. When you use a Notion template, there’s no guarantee that you’ll use all of its features—even if you invest money into it rather than using a free one.

You don’t need to use all of the features in your Notion template, but ideally, more than half of them will be useful for you. If they aren’t, you’re better off looking for an alternative or creating one yourself.

5. Will You Use the Template With Other People?

Many people use Notion to manage their own projects and lifestyles, but the tool has a selection of collaboration opportunities. In fact, some of your favorite creators use Notion to work together with their teams. Before you buy a Notion template, it’s important to consider whether you’ll use it with others.

If you only plan to use the template on your own, you don’t need to worry too much. However, you’ve got a couple of things to consider if you are. While you won’t need to educate your team on how to use Notion, you will need to ensure they all know how to use the template. And when you do, you’ll need to factor in the time it takes.

6. Would It Be Easier to Do Your Task Outside of Notion?

Notion is one of the best productivity tools on the web, and it’s not surprising that millions of people use the service. It’s useful for all kinds of tasks, such as keeping track of books you’d like to read and setting long-term goals. However, the app is not the go-to solution for everything.

Sometimes, you might find a different tool—such as Google Sheets—more useful for the task you want to perform. This is somewhat subjective, as different people find different things easier or more difficult. But if you feel like you’re going to run into more issues than it's worth, consider not buying your template and using something else.

7. Can You Create Your Own Version That’s Better?

You might want to buy a Notion template for one of several reasons, and most of them are valid. However, you might be able to make one that’s better suited for you instead of purchasing something. Before you invest in a template, consider asking whether you can create something better on your own.

If you feel like you can, try it out and see how far you get. You’ll probably manage to create something that’s more tailored to your needs and doesn’t require any kind of learning curve. Of course, you might want to purchase a Notion template for the sake of convenience. If that’s the case, then your purchase may well be justified.

8. Are You Going to Export Your Notion Content Elsewhere?

Notion allows you to export pages in all kinds of formats, including PDF. And if you take your content off the platform, it’s worth thinking about what you might want to include.

For example, if you want to export your Notion templates as a PDF, you may wish to create tables that other people can fill out. Checklists are also a good idea; you can even write long-term goals that you can export to your computer screen. When you think about where you’ll use your Notion template before purchasing it, you will make a wise investment.

Plenty of Things to Consider Before You Buy a Notion Template

Notion is a fantastic platform for tracking goals, managing projects, and performing everyday tasks. You’ll find plenty of templates that you can pay for, but you might also want to think twice before doing so.

By considering what you’ll use your templates for and how much of a learning curve you’re willing to tolerate, you can ensure that your decision is more educated.