AppFlowy vs Flatnotes
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
Open-source workspace and Notion alternative
VS
Flatnotes
Self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app
| Feature | AppFlowy | Flatnotes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Dart | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 75,074 | ★ 3,172 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Evernote, Simplenote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or Flatnotes better?
Neither is universally better. AppFlowy has the larger community, while Flatnotes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AppFlowy and Flatnotes free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Flatnotes under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy and Flatnotes with Docker?
AppFlowy: yes. Flatnotes: yes.