AFFiNE vs nb Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
AFFiNE
Workspace for docs, whiteboards and databases
VS
nb Notes
Command-line note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving tool
| Feature | AFFiNE | nb Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 72,916 | ★ 8,410 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Notion, Miro | Evernote, Notion |
What are AFFiNE and nb Notes?
AFFiNE
AFFiNE is an open-source knowledge base that combines documents, whiteboards, and databases in a single workspace. It targets users wanting an all-in-one alternative to Notion and Miro. It is deployed via Docker.
- Docs, whiteboard and database in one
- Local-first data model
- Real-time collaboration
- Edgeless canvas mode
nb Notes
nb is a command-line and local web tool for plain-text note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving with Git-backed versioning and syncing. It works entirely in the terminal and supports encryption.
- Plain-text notes and bookmarks
- Git-backed sync
- Optional encryption
- Tagging and search
AFFiNE vs nb Notes: key differences
AFFiNE is written in TypeScript, while nb Notes is built with Shell. Licensing differs — MIT for AFFiNE versus AGPL-3.0 for nb Notes. Nb Notes is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for AFFiNE. Nb Notes is the more established project (first released 2019), while AFFiNE arrived in 2022. AFFiNE has the considerably larger community, at 72,916 GitHub stars versus 8,410. AFFiNE lists first-class Docker deployment; nb Notes does not.
Why pick each one
Choose AFFiNE if…
- Versatile workspace
- Local-first design
- Modern UI
Watch out for
- Self-hosting still maturing
- Resource intensive
Choose nb Notes if…
- Powerful for terminal users
- Versioned with Git
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- No graphical client
Frequently asked questions
Is AFFiNE or nb Notes better?
Neither is universally better. AFFiNE has the larger community, while nb Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AFFiNE and nb Notes free and open-source?
Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and nb Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AFFiNE and nb Notes with Docker?
AFFiNE: yes. nb Notes: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, AFFiNE or nb Notes?
nb Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for AFFiNE. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.