AFFiNE vs Writing
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
Writing
Lightweight distraction-free text editor, in the browser (Markdown and
| Feature | AFFiNE | Writing |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 71,312 | ★ 1,118 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Notion, Miro | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Writing if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is AFFiNE or Writing 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 Writing free and open-source?
Yes. AFFiNE is licensed under MIT and Writing under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AFFiNE and Writing with Docker?
AFFiNE: yes. Writing: check the project docs for container support.