AppFlowy vs Notable
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
Notable
Markdown-based note-taking app for plain files
| Feature | AppFlowy | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 28 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dart | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 76,904 | ★ 23,496 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
What are AppFlowy and Notable?
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
Notable
Notable is a note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files on disk. It offers a clean editor, tags, and full-text search while keeping all data in portable files.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Tag-based organization
- Full-text search
- Clean editor
AppFlowy vs Notable: key differences
AppFlowy is written in Dart, while Notable is built with TypeScript. Notable is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for AppFlowy. Notable is the more established project (first released 2018), while AppFlowy arrived in 2021. AppFlowy has the considerably larger community, at 76,904 GitHub stars versus 23,496. AppFlowy lists first-class Docker deployment; Notable does not.
Why pick each one
Choose AppFlowy if…
- Strong Notion alternative
- Active development
Watch out for
- Self-hosted backend is newer
- Still maturing
Choose Notable if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Simple and focused
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Desktop only
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or Notable better?
Neither is universally better. AppFlowy has the larger community, while Notable is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AppFlowy and Notable free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Notable under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy and Notable with Docker?
AppFlowy: yes. Notable: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, AppFlowy or Notable?
Notable has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for AppFlowy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.