AFFiNE vs AppFlowy: Open-Source Notion Clones

Quick Verdict AppFlowy is the safer choice for self-hosting today. Its desktop app is polished, it works well offline, and the server component — while complex — is functional. AFFiNE is more experimental: it combines documents, whiteboards, and databases in a unified workspace, but the self-hosted version is pre-1.0 and prone to breaking changes. If you need a working Notion alternative now, go with AppFlowy. If you want to experiment with a more ambitious vision, try AFFiNE. Overview AppFlowy is a Notion alternative built with Rust (backend) and Flutter (frontend). It offers a block-based editor with databases (grid, kanban, calendar views), nested documents, and a native desktop experience. Self-hosting uses AppFlowy Cloud — a multi-service stack with GoTrue auth, PostgreSQL, Redis, and MinIO. AFFiNE is a workspace that merges docs, whiteboards, and databases into one tool. The editor supports block-based writing similar to Notion, but adds an infinite canvas (whiteboard) mode where