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AppFlowy

Open-source, local-first Notion alternative with built-in AI

AppFlowy is an open-source workspace platform offering documents, wikis, databases, and project management as a privacy-first alternative to Notion. Built with Rust and Flutter for native performance, it runs fully offline with local data storage by default. AI features include writing assistance, summarization, and translation powered by configurable LLM providers. 72.5K+ GitHub stars, backed by a growing contributor community with self-hosted and cloud deployment options.

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About AppFlowy

AppFlowy provides a comprehensive workspace with documents, databases (Kanban, grid, calendar views), and project management tools — all the core functionality teams use Notion for, but with full data ownership. Built with Rust for the backend engine and Flutter for cross-platform UI, it delivers native performance on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. The local-first architecture means all data lives on your device by default, with optional cloud sync for collaboration.

AI capabilities are integrated throughout the workspace: writing assistance for drafting and editing, document summarization, language translation, and intelligent search across your knowledge base. The AI layer is configurable — connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or local model endpoint rather than being locked into a single provider. This makes AppFlowy suitable for organizations with strict data policies that cannot send content to third-party AI services.

The project has 72.5K+ GitHub stars and is AGPLv3 licensed, with a strong contributor community. Self-hosting via Docker provides complete infrastructure control, while AppFlowy Cloud offers a managed option. The combination of local-first architecture, open-source licensing, configurable AI, and native cross-platform apps makes it the most credible open-source Notion alternative, particularly for privacy-conscious developers and regulated industries like finance and legal.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Open-source (AGPL-3.0) offline-first Notion alternative built with Flutter and Rust. Self-hosted edition is 100% free ($0) with unlimited local SQLite pages and Docker/Supabase deployment. Managed AppFlowy Cloud offers a Free tier ($0/mo with basic cloud storage and 2 workspace members), Pro tier ($10/user/mo billed annually or $12.50/mo monthly with unlimited storage, 10GB file uploads, and AppFlowy AI credits), Team tier ($15/user/mo for multi-user collaboration), and custom Enterprise plans with SAML SSO, self-hosted on-prem cloud, and dedicated SLA. Supports BYOK and local offline LLMs via Ollama.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

Desktop (Mac/Win/Linux), Mobile (iOS/Android), Docker, Cloud

Explore categories, tags & use cases

Alternatives

All AppFlowy alternatives →
Notion logo

Notion

Connected workspace for teams

All-in-one workspace combining notes, wikis, project management, databases, and documents in a single flexible platform. Features a block-based editor supporting rich text, tables, kanban boards, calendars, galleries, and embeds. Powerful databases with relations, rollups, formulas, and filtered views. Includes Notion AI for writing assistance, team collaboration with permissions, templates gallery, and API for integrations. Used by millions for personal and team knowledge management.

freemium
Obsidian logo

Obsidian

Private Markdown knowledge base

Knowledge management app based on local Markdown files with powerful linking and graph visualization. Bidirectional links, graph view, canvas for spatial thinking, templates, daily notes, and 5,000+ community plugins. All data is stored as plain .md files with no vendor lock-in. Custom themes, Vim mode, and Dataview support database-like queries. Sync and Publish are paid add-ons; the core app remains free for personal use.

freemium

Side-by-Side Comparisons

AppFlowy logo
AppFlowy
vs
Obsidian logo
Obsidian

AppFlowy vs Obsidian — Open-Source Workspace Platform vs Local-First Knowledge Vault

AppFlowy and Obsidian both champion data ownership and offline-first operation, but they are fundamentally different tools. AppFlowy is an open-source Notion alternative with documents, databases, and project management. Obsidian is a Markdown-based knowledge management tool built on local files. This comparison helps developers choose between structured workspace collaboration and personal knowledge graph building.

AppFlowyObsidian
AppFlowy logo
AppFlowy
vs
Notion logo
Notion

AppFlowy vs Notion — Open-Source Privacy-First Workspace vs Cloud Productivity Giant

AppFlowy and Notion both provide documents, databases, and project management in a unified workspace, but they differ fundamentally in philosophy. Notion is the cloud-native market leader with 100M+ users and the richest feature set. AppFlowy is the open-source alternative with 54,000+ GitHub stars that keeps all data local by default. This comparison helps teams choose between Notion's ecosystem and AppFlowy's privacy guarantees.

AppFlowyNotion

Community experience

Sources & verification

Sources checked
Content verified

Verification dates are editorial checks. Routine CMS saves and automatic updatedAt timestamps do not advance them.

FAQ

What is AppFlowy?

AppFlowy is an open-source workspace platform offering documents, wikis, databases, and project management as a privacy-first alternative to Notion. Built with Rust and Flutter for native performance, it runs fully offline with local data storage by default. AI features include writing assistance, summarization, and translation powered by configurable LLM providers. 72.5K+ GitHub stars, backed by a growing contributor community with self-hosted and cloud deployment options.

Is AppFlowy free?

AppFlowy offers a free tier alongside paid plans. Open-source (AGPL-3.0) offline-first Notion alternative built with Flutter and Rust. Self-hosted edition is 100% free ($0) with unlimited local SQLite pages and Docker/Supabase deployment. Managed AppFlowy Cloud offers a Free tier ($0/mo with basic cloud storage and 2 workspace members), Pro tier ($10/user/mo billed annually or $12.50/mo monthly with unlimited storage, 10GB file uploads, and AppFlowy AI credits), Team tier ($15/user/mo for multi-user collaboration), and custom Enterprise plans with SAML SSO, self-hosted on-prem cloud, and dedicated SLA. Supports BYOK and local offline LLMs via Ollama.

Is AppFlowy open source?

Yes — AppFlowy is open source.

Is AppFlowy still maintained?

Yes — AppFlowy is active. Its listing was last verified on September 6, 2026.

What are the best AppFlowy alternatives?

The first editor-selected AppFlowy alternatives are Notion, Obsidian.

How does AppFlowy score in our review?

The published editorial review lists AppFlowy at 78/100 overall across speed, privacy, and developer experience. Check the review's evidence status and test metadata for its verification level.