AFFiNE vs QuillPad
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
QuillPad
Minimal note-taking app with notebooks and tags
| Feature | AFFiNE | QuillPad |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 71,312 | ★ 1,354 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Notion, Miro | Google Keep, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Choose QuillPad if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Kotlin
Frequently asked questions
Is AFFiNE or QuillPad better?
Neither is universally better. AFFiNE has the larger community, while QuillPad is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AFFiNE and QuillPad free and open-source?
Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and QuillPad under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AFFiNE and QuillPad with Docker?
AFFiNE: yes. QuillPad: check the project docs for container support.