AFFiNE

A local-first workspace that merges documents, a whiteboard canvas and databases, as an alternative to Notion and Miro, with desktop apps and a cloud.

74k stars, 5.4k forks TypeScript On GitHub since July 2022

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is AFFiNE?

AFFiNE lets the same content live as a document, a page on an infinite canvas, or a table, so you can write, draw and plan in one place. It works local-first in the browser or in desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux, and syncs through AFFiNE Cloud or a server you run yourself. The editor is built on BlockSuite, its own open-source block framework. The interface comes in 22 languages.

Good fit if

  • You think visually and want notes and whiteboards in the same tool.
  • You want a local-first app that works without an account.

Look elsewhere if

  • You need a self-hosted team server with a fully open license: Docmost core is AGPL, and BookStack is MIT.
  • You want plain Markdown files you own: Logseq or SiYuan.

Before you adopt it

AFFiNE moved from MPL-2.0 to MIT in August 2023, but only for the apps and editor: the server code in packages/backend is under the AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license, which allows production use only with a valid AFFiNE subscription. Outside contributions require a signed CLA. A self-hosted server uses PostgreSQL and Redis.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

AFFiNE health: is it still maintained?

77 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    112 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 27 October 2026.
    25 / 30
  • Contributors
    20 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 67% of them.
    18 / 20
  • Releases
    15 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v0.27.4, on 18 August 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Too few recent issues from outside the team to measure, so this part gets a neutral score.
    10 / 20
  • Security practices
    No OpenSSF Scorecard for this repository yet, so this part gets a neutral score.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

AFFiNE license: is it open source?

AFFiNE uses MIT, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Some features sit under a separate paid license inside the same repository. Contributors sign a contributor license agreement, which lets the owner relicense their work later.

  1. July 2022First published on GitHub under MPL-2.0.
  2. 29 August 2023Changed to MIT. Commit: feat!: affine cloud support (#3813)
  3. TodayMIT, with paid parts: license file assigns a different licence to part of the code. A contributor license agreement is required.

How to run AFFiNE yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
.docker/selfhost/compose.yml: 4 services (redis, postgres)
Setup effort
3 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
Builds for macOS, Windows, Linux, including ARM in GitHub releases
Interface languages
22 languages

Install instructions: affine.pro or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to AFFiNE

  • DocmostDocmost is an open-source collaborative wiki and documentation software. It is an open-source alternative to… 72 health · AGPL-3.0 · 22.2k stars
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All 34 projects in Notes & knowledge bases

Questions about AFFiNE

Is AFFiNE open source?

Yes. AFFiNE is published under MIT, an OSI-approved open-source license. Some features are kept under a separate paid license in the same repository.

Is AFFiNE still maintained?

Its health score is 77 of 100 (actively developed). It had 112 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 27 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 18 August 2026.

Did AFFiNE change its license?

Yes. It moved from MPL-2.0 to MIT on 29 August 2023.

How do I run AFFiNE?

You can run it with Docker, as an app for macOS, Windows, Linux, including ARM. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to AFFiNE?

Close alternatives in the Notes & knowledge bases category include Docmost, Trilium Notes, SiYuan.