SHSelfHostIndex

AFFiNE vs Notesnook Sync Server

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?
AF AFFiNE Workspace for docs, whiteboards and databases VS NO Notesnook Sync Server Self-hosted backend for the Notesnook encrypted notes app
FeatureAFFiNENotesnook Sync Server
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptC#
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 71,312★ 905
First released20222023
ReplacesNotion, MiroEvernote, OneNote

Why pick each one

Choose AFFiNE if…

  • Versatile workspace
  • Local-first design
  • Modern UI
AFFiNE details

Choose Notesnook Sync Server if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in C#
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Notesnook Sync Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is AFFiNE or Notesnook Sync Server better?

Neither is universally better. AFFiNE has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are AFFiNE and Notesnook Sync Server free and open-source?

Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and Notesnook Sync Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run AFFiNE and Notesnook Sync Server with Docker?

AFFiNE: yes. Notesnook Sync Server: yes.

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