AFFiNE vs Standard Notes
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
Standard Notes
Encrypted notes app focused on longevity
| Feature | AFFiNE | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 71,312 | ★ 469 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion, Miro | Evernote |
Why pick each one
Choose Standard Notes if…
- Strong privacy focus
- Simple and durable
- Apps everywhere
Frequently asked questions
Is AFFiNE or Standard Notes 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 Standard Notes free and open-source?
Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and Standard Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AFFiNE and Standard Notes with Docker?
AFFiNE: yes. Standard Notes: yes.