AFFiNE vs AppFlowy: 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 | AppFlowy | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~46k | ~59k |
| Tech stack | Rust, TypeScript, PostgreSQL | Rust, Flutter, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Notion | Notion |
AppFlowy 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
AppFlowy
Notes and database workspace, the open source alternative to Notion.
Pros
- Noticeably better performance with large documents
- No artificial limits on blocks or members
- Self-hostable with full control of your data
Things to consider
- Plugin ecosystem still smaller than Notion's
- AGPL-3.0: a strong copyleft license, with source-sharing obligations for covered modified versions and certain network use, under its terms
Key features
AFFiNE
- Notion-style docs and databases
- Integrated infinite whiteboard
- Local-first mode
AppFlowy
- Notion-style block editor with databases
- Local-first mode, works offline
- Native apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android
- Plugins and open API
Already know which one you prefer?
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