AFFiNE vs Outline: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Notion. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| AFFiNE | Outline | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| License | MIT | BUSL-1.1 |
| GitHub stars | 46k | 30k |
| Tech stack | Rust, TypeScript, PostgreSQL | Node.js, React, PostgreSQL, Redis |
| Replaces | Notion | Confluence, Notion |
AFFiNE has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
AFFiNE
Docs + whiteboard on one canvas, an alternative to Notion.
Pros
- Combines notes and a whiteboard, something Notion doesn't offer natively
Things to consider
- The official self-host setup still evolves quickly between versions
Outline
Fast, elegant team wiki, an alternative to Confluence.
Pros
- Very polished interface, fast team adoption
Things to consider
- BUSL-1.1 license restricts offering it as a competing SaaS
Key features
AFFiNE
- Notion-style docs and databases
- Integrated infinite whiteboard
- Local-first mode
Outline
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Instant search
- Collections and team permissions