Check workspace export before you sign up: a six-question data portability test
A six-question workspace export and data portability test, run on Notion, ClickUp, Linear and Atrix in October 2026: what each export keeps and drops.
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Before you put a team's work into any SaaS tool, run its workspace export once and check six things: the file formats, whether attachments come out, whether comments come out, whether history comes out, whether there is an API for what the export misses, and how long the export takes and stays available. Ten minutes on day one avoids a week of salvage when you leave.
Data portability is not a box a vendor ticks. Every tool can export something. The question is whether what comes out is enough to run your company from if the tool disappeared tomorrow. We have moved our own docs and tasks between tools more than once, and every time the gap was in the same places: comments, files and history. This post gives you a test you can run in a trial, and the results for Notion, ClickUp, Linear and our own product, Atrix, as of October 2026.
Why export matters more for a small team
A 200-person company has an IT team, a procurement process and, often, a contract clause about data return. A five-person team has a credit card and a Friday afternoon. If your tool raises prices, changes its seat rules or shuts down a feature you rely on, the cost of leaving is decided by the export you get, and you find that out at the worst moment.
There is also an ordinary reason to care. A clean export is a backup. Exporting once a quarter and keeping the ZIP somewhere you control is the cheapest insurance a small team can buy.
The six-question test
Run each question during the trial, with real data in the workspace: at least one document with images, a task with comments and an attachment, and something edited a few times.
- Formats. What comes out, and can another tool read it? CSV for tables, Markdown or HTML for documents and JSON for nested data are the formats you want. A PDF is a record, not a migration.
- Attachments. Do the actual files come out, or only links back to the vendor? Links stop working when the account closes.
- Comments. Are comments on tasks and documents included, with author and date? Decisions often live in comments, not in the task description.
- History. Is version history or an activity log included? Usually not; know that before you rely on history as your audit trail.
- API. Is there a documented API that can fetch what the export leaves out? An API turns a partial export into a complete one, if someone writes the script.
- Time and access. Who can run the export, how long does it take, and how long does the download link last? An export only an owner can run, with a link that dies in an hour, needs planning.
Score each question as yes, partly or no. Two or more "no" answers on attachments, comments or history means you should plan a regular export from the start.
How Notion, ClickUp, Linear and Atrix score
We checked each vendor's own help pages on 27 October 2026. Plans and permissions change, so test in your own workspace before you rely on this.
| Question | Notion | ClickUp | Linear | Atrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formats | HTML, Markdown and CSV for the workspace; PDF per page | CSV for task data; Docs one at a time as HTML, PDF or Markdown | CSV for workspace, issues and projects; issues and documents copied as Markdown | One ZIP: CSV tables, pages as Markdown in their page tree, JSON for comments and goals |
| Attachments | Yes, uploaded files included | Links and names in the CSV; files downloaded per task as a ZIP | No: "CSV exports don't include attachment files" | No: images in pages are links back to Atrix |
| Comments | Yes in HTML, page and block level; not mentioned for Markdown | Yes, in the task CSV | Not in the CSV; included when copying an issue as Markdown | Work item comments yes; page comments no |
| History | Not covered by the export article | Not in the field list | Issue history not a CSV field | No version history in the export |
| API | Admin API can start an export, Enterprise only, in beta | Public API, 100 requests per minute per token | Public API and webhooks | REST API with 90 endpoints, and webhooks through automations |
| Time and access | Workspace owners; up to 30 hours to build; link lasts 7 days | Owners by default; link expires after 1 hour | Workspace admins (owners on Enterprise); link expires after 12 hours | Owners and admins; built while you wait; one a day; deleted after 24 hours |
Notion
Notion's export is the most complete of the four for documents. From Settings, the workspace export produces HTML, Markdown and CSV with uploaded files included, and Notion's help centre says HTML exports can include comments at page and block level. The catches: databases export only the current view and the default view, pages the exporter cannot see (including other members' private pages) are left out, and workspace owners can switch exporting off entirely. The help centre says large exports can take up to 30 hours, and the emailed link expires after 7 days. Our longer guide on how to leave Notion walks through each format.
ClickUp
ClickUp splits export by object. Workspace task data comes out as CSV from Settings under Imports / Exports, with comments and attachment links included. Docs are exported one at a time, and ClickUp's help centre states that bulk export of all Docs is not yet available. Whiteboards, dashboard cards and form responses each have their own export. By default only owners can run the workspace task export on Free Forever, Unlimited and Business, and download links expire after one hour. On Free Forever and Unlimited, only five List, Table or Form view exports are allowed. We looked at why teams leave in why small teams leave ClickUp.
Linear
Linear's workspace export is a CSV of issues with a fixed set of fields: status, priority, assignee, labels, cycle and timestamps. Linear's docs say plainly that CSV exports do not include attachment files, and comments are not among the CSV fields; copying an issue as Markdown does capture its comments. Workspace admins can export, owners only on Enterprise, and the emailed link expires after 12 hours. Linear's API covers what the CSV does not, which is the usual route for a full migration.
Atrix
Atrix is our product, so here is exactly what its export contains, and what it does not. An owner or admin goes to Settings and chooses "Export workspace data". The ZIP is built while you wait and contains a README, a manifest with row counts, CSV files for members, products, issues, pages, CRM companies, contacts, deals and deal notes, calendar events, ideas and feed posts, Markdown files for every page in folders that mirror the page tree, and JSON for work item comments and goals. Every row keeps its id, so files can be joined.
The limits, stated plainly:
- No attachment files. Images inside pages are links back to Atrix, which stop working when the workspace is closed.
- No page comments, version history or chat messages. Work item comments are included; page comments and chat are not.
- Permission-shaped. The export is built as the person who asks. Deal amounts appear only if they may see deal values, and private calendar events show as busy time.
- Some data is never exported. Pay, bank and identity details, signed agreements, payslips, API tokens and share links are never included, whoever asks.
- Size and frequency. One workspace export per person per day, tables capped at 50,000 rows, and a 100 MB archive limit before support has to help.
- Short-lived file. The archive is deleted from Atrix 24 hours after it is made, and other owners are told when someone exports.
- Not available by token. No API token or MCP tool can request the workspace export; it needs a signed-in session. The REST API and MCP server can read most of the same records.
The full list of what a workspace holds is on the features page.
Lock-in is more than the export
Export is the visible part of lock-in. Three quieter things raise the cost of leaving:
- Structure that does not travel. Relations, rollups, automations and custom views are rebuilt by hand in the next tool. Write down the ones you depend on.
- Links that point inside the tool. Every internal link in a document breaks on export. Keep important references as titles, not just links.
- People's habits. A team that has used a tool for two years has workflows nobody wrote down. Budget a week of mild confusion.
None of this is a reason to avoid good tools. It is a reason to know your exit before you need it.
A quarterly export routine
- Put a recurring reminder in the calendar for the first Monday of each quarter.
- Run the workspace export as an owner, and run any separate exports the tool needs, such as documents or attachments.
- Open the ZIP and spot-check three things: a document with images, a task with comments, and the largest table.
- Store it with the date in the file name, somewhere outside the vendor: a company drive or an encrypted disk.
- Delete exports older than a year unless you need them for records.
FAQ
What does data portability mean for a SaaS tool?
That you can take your data out in formats another tool can read, without the vendor's help, and use it elsewhere. In practice it means CSV for tables, Markdown or HTML for documents, the files themselves rather than links, and an API for anything the export misses.
Can I export my data from Notion?
Yes. Settings has an "Export all workspace content" option that produces HTML, Markdown and CSV, with uploaded files. HTML is the format that can include comments. Databases export only the current and default views, and owners can disable exporting.
Can I export my data from ClickUp?
Yes, in parts. Task data comes out as CSV with comments and attachment links; Docs export one at a time; attachments download per task. Owners run the workspace task export by default, and links expire after one hour.
Does Linear export attachments?
No. Linear's documentation says CSV exports do not include attachment files, although links to attachments may appear in issue descriptions. Use the API or copy issues as Markdown for comments.
How do I avoid vendor lock-in with project management software?
Run the six-question test during the trial, export once a quarter, keep important references as plain text, and prefer tools with a documented API. No tool removes lock-in completely; the aim is to know what you would lose.
Next step
See what an Atrix workspace holds on the features page, or compare it with Notion on the Notion alternatives page.
Sources
Checked on 27 October 2026: Notion: Export your content, ClickUp: How do I export my Workspace's data?, ClickUp: Export task data, ClickUp: Import and export feature availability and limits, ClickUp: Export a Doc, Linear: Exporting data.