AppFlowy Cloud vs Trilium 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?
AppFlowy Cloud
Self-hosted backend for the AppFlowy workspace app
VS
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | AppFlowy Cloud | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,976 | ★ 37,298 |
| First released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion | Evernote, Notion |
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 Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy Cloud or Trilium Notes better?
Trilium 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 Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy Cloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy Cloud and Trilium Notes with Docker?
AppFlowy Cloud: yes. Trilium Notes: yes.