AppFlowy vs AppFlowy Cloud
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
AppFlowy
Open-source workspace and Notion alternative
VS
AppFlowy Cloud
Archived
Self-hosted backend for the AppFlowy workspace app
| Feature | AppFlowy | AppFlowy Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dart | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 76,892 | ★ 2,003 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Notion |
What are AppFlowy and AppFlowy Cloud?
AppFlowy
AppFlowy is an open-source workspace for notes, wikis, and project management designed as a privacy-first alternative to Notion. It can run locally and supports a self-hosted sync backend.
- Notion-like blocks and databases
- Local-first data
- Self-hostable cloud backend
- Cross-platform apps
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
AppFlowy vs AppFlowy Cloud: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: AppFlowy Cloud's repository is archived and no longer developed, while AppFlowy is actively maintained. AppFlowy is written in Dart, while AppFlowy Cloud is built with Rust. AppFlowy is the more established project (first released 2021), while AppFlowy Cloud arrived in 2023. AppFlowy has the considerably larger community, at 76,892 GitHub stars versus 2,003.
Why pick each one
Choose AppFlowy if…
- Strong Notion alternative
- Active development
Watch out for
- Self-hosted backend is newer
- Still maturing
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
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or AppFlowy Cloud better?
Neither is universally better. AppFlowy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AppFlowy and AppFlowy Cloud free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and AppFlowy Cloud under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy and AppFlowy Cloud with Docker?
AppFlowy: yes. AppFlowy Cloud: yes.