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Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

AppFlowy

The open-source alternative to Notion, with docs, databases and AI you control.

Visit AppFlowy4.4

  • Rating

    4.4 / 5

  • Pricing

    Freemium

  • Difficulty

    Intermediate

  • Works on

    macOS, Windows, Linux

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

Free: 1,100+ ways people make money onlineFree: 399+ ways to make money online

What is AppFlowy?

AppFlowy is an open-source workspace for notes, docs, wikis, databases and project boards, describing itself as the open-source alternative to Notion. It is licensed under the AGPLv3, puts data privacy first and can be self-hosted. The free Personal plan includes one workspace owner and up to 100 MB of storage; Pro costs $16 per member a month billed annually. Apps are available for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and the web.

Pros: what AppFlowy does well

  • Open source (AGPLv3) with a self-hosting option
  • Notion-style docs, databases and boards
  • Apps on every desktop and mobile platform

Cons: where it falls short

  • Free cloud plan has 100 MB of storage
  • Smaller template and integration ecosystem than Notion

Who AppFlowy is for

People who like Notion's model but want open source and control of their data.

Who can skip it

Teams that rely on Notion's integrations and templates.

Compare AppFlowy

See how AppFlowy stacks up, side by side, plus the lists it made.

AppFlowy alternatives

Not sold on AppFlowy? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Note-Taking resources

NotionEditor's pick, verified

Focus: second brain and docs. Shares wiki and databases with AppFlowy. A web app, not a desktop app. Rated 4.7 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Web AppFree planWeb, iOS
4.7Visit

SilverBullet

Focus: markdown, notes and github. Shares wiki and self-hosted with AppFlowy. A web app, not a desktop app. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit

Trilium Notes

Focus: notes and knowledge base. Shares self-hosted and open source with AppFlowy. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit

Alexandrie

Focus: markdown, knowledge base and latex. Shares self-hosted and open source with AppFlowy. A web app, not a desktop app. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Rated 4.5 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit

Flatnotes

Focus: markdown notes, search and github. Shares self-hosted and open source with AppFlowy. A web app, not a desktop app. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Rated 4.5 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit

TiddlyWiki

Focus: notebook, single file and zettelkasten. Shares wiki and open source with AppFlowy. A web app, not a desktop app. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Adds Offline. Rated 4.5 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, Offline
4.5Visit

Free alternatives to AppFlowy

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

SiYuan

Focus: second brain, block editor and backlinks. Shares open source with AppFlowy. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Rated 4.7 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit

Logseq

Focus: PKM, Note-Taking and Graph Database. Shares Open Source with AppFlowy. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

nb

Focus: notes, bookmarks and command line. Shares open source with AppFlowy. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Adds Offline. Rated 4.5 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.5Visit

zk

Focus: zettelkasten, markdown notes and command line. Shares open source with AppFlowy. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Adds Offline. Rated 4.5 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.5Visit

Foam

Focus: notes, wikilinks and backlinks. Shares open source with AppFlowy. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Same 4.4 rating.

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.4Visit

DokuWiki

Focus: documentation, knowledge base and github. Shares wiki and self-hosted with AppFlowy. A web app, not a desktop app. Free (AppFlowy: Freemium). Rated 4.3 (AppFlowy: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb
4.3Visit
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