AppFlowy Cloud vs Docmost
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Docmost
Open-source collaborative wiki and documentation
| Feature | AppFlowy Cloud | Docmost |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 96 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,003 | ★ 21,764 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Notion | Confluence, Notion |
What are AppFlowy Cloud and Docmost?
AppFlowy Cloud
AppFlowy Cloud is the self-hostable backend service that powers collaboration and sync for the AppFlowy open-source workspace and note-taking application. It lets teams keep documents and data on their own servers.
- Self-hosted sync backend
- Real-time collaboration
- Document storage
- Open-source server
Docmost
Docmost is an open-source collaborative documentation and wiki software for teams to create and organize knowledge. It targets organizations seeking a self-hosted Confluence alternative. It is deployed via Docker with PostgreSQL.
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Spaces and nested pages
- Permissions and SSO
- Diagrams and embeds
AppFlowy Cloud vs Docmost: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: AppFlowy Cloud's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Docmost is actively maintained. AppFlowy Cloud is written in Rust, while Docmost is built with TypeScript. Docmost has the considerably larger community, at 21,764 GitHub stars versus 2,003.
Why pick each one
Choose AppFlowy Cloud if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose Docmost if…
- Clean modern interface
- Good team collaboration
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires Postgres
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy Cloud or Docmost better?
Neither is universally better. Docmost has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AppFlowy Cloud and Docmost free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy Cloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Docmost under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy Cloud and Docmost with Docker?
AppFlowy Cloud: yes. Docmost: yes.