AFFiNE vs mdSilo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AFFiNE
Workspace for docs, whiteboards and databases
VS
mdSilo
Networked note-taking and knowledge base app
| Feature | AFFiNE | mdSilo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 71,312 | ★ 849 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Notion, Miro | Obsidian, Roam Research |
Why pick each one
Choose mdSilo if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is AFFiNE or mdSilo better?
Neither is universally better. AFFiNE has the larger community, while mdSilo is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AFFiNE and mdSilo free and open-source?
Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and mdSilo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AFFiNE and mdSilo with Docker?
AFFiNE: yes. mdSilo: check the project docs for container support.