AppFlowy Cloud vs nb Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | AppFlowy Cloud | nb Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 92 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,003 | ★ 8,406 |
| First released | 2023 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Notion | Evernote, Notion |
What are AppFlowy Cloud and nb Notes?
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
nb Notes
nb is a command-line and local web tool for plain-text note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving with Git-backed versioning and syncing. It works entirely in the terminal and supports encryption.
- Plain-text notes and bookmarks
- Git-backed sync
- Optional encryption
- Tagging and search
AppFlowy Cloud vs nb Notes: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: AppFlowy Cloud's repository is archived and no longer developed, while nb Notes is actively maintained. AppFlowy Cloud is written in Rust, while nb Notes is built with Shell. Nb Notes is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for AppFlowy Cloud. Nb Notes is the more established project (first released 2019), while AppFlowy Cloud arrived in 2023. Nb Notes has the considerably larger community, at 8,406 GitHub stars versus 2,003. AppFlowy Cloud lists first-class Docker deployment; nb Notes does not.
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 nb Notes if…
- Powerful for terminal users
- Versioned with Git
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- No graphical client
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy Cloud or nb Notes better?
nb Notes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider AppFlowy Cloud if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are AppFlowy Cloud and nb Notes free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy Cloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and nb Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy Cloud and nb Notes with Docker?
AppFlowy Cloud: yes. nb Notes: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, AppFlowy Cloud or nb Notes?
nb Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for AppFlowy Cloud. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.