AppFlowy Cloud vs SilverBullet
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 | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 91 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,003 | ★ 6,137 |
| First released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Notion | Notion, Obsidian |
What are AppFlowy Cloud and SilverBullet?
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
SilverBullet
SilverBullet is an extensible, Markdown-based note-taking web app that you can run on your own server and access from any browser. It targets users who want a programmable personal knowledge tool. It is deployed via Docker or Deno.
- Markdown-based with live queries
- Extensible via Space Script
- Works offline as a PWA
- Plain file storage
AppFlowy Cloud vs SilverBullet: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: AppFlowy Cloud's repository is archived and no longer developed, while SilverBullet is actively maintained. AppFlowy Cloud is written in Rust, while SilverBullet is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for AppFlowy Cloud versus MIT for SilverBullet. SilverBullet is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for AppFlowy Cloud. SilverBullet has the considerably larger community, at 6,137 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 SilverBullet if…
- Highly hackable
- Lightweight
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Niche and DIY-oriented
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy Cloud or SilverBullet better?
SilverBullet 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 SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy Cloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy Cloud and SilverBullet with Docker?
AppFlowy Cloud: yes. SilverBullet: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, AppFlowy Cloud or SilverBullet?
SilverBullet has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for AppFlowy Cloud. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.