AFFiNE vs Reor
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
Reor
Archived
AI-powered local-first personal knowledge management app
| Feature | AFFiNE | Reor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 72,916 | ★ 8,551 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Notion, Miro | Evernote, Notion |
What are AFFiNE and Reor?
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
Reor
Reor is an open-source, private, local-first AI note-taking application. It automatically links related notes, runs AI models locally, and stores everything as plain Markdown files on your machine.
- Local AI models
- Automatic note linking
- Plain Markdown storage
- Semantic search
AFFiNE vs Reor: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Reor's repository is archived and no longer developed, while AFFiNE is actively maintained. AFFiNE is written in TypeScript, while Reor is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for AFFiNE versus AGPL-3.0 for Reor. AFFiNE is the more established project (first released 2022), while Reor arrived in 2024. AFFiNE has the considerably larger community, at 72,916 GitHub stars versus 8,551. AFFiNE lists first-class Docker deployment; Reor 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 Reor if…
- AI features without sending data away
- Notes stay as portable files
Watch out for
- AI features need more RAM
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is AFFiNE or Reor better?
Neither is universally better. AFFiNE has the larger community, while Reor is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AFFiNE and Reor free and open-source?
Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and Reor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AFFiNE and Reor with Docker?
AFFiNE: yes. Reor: check the project docs for container support.