AppFlowy vs Beavers 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
Open-source workspace and Notion alternative
VS
Beavers Notes
Local-first note-taking with file-over-app philosophy
| Feature | AppFlowy | Beavers Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Dart | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 75,074 | ★ 1,324 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Evernote, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or Beavers Notes better?
Neither is universally better. AppFlowy has the larger community, while Beavers Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AppFlowy and Beavers Notes free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Beavers Notes under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy and Beavers Notes with Docker?
AppFlowy: yes. Beavers Notes: check the project docs for container support.