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6 self-hosted options

Open-source alternatives to Notion

The best open-source alternatives to Notion are AppFlowy, AFFiNE and Outline.

About Notion: An all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis and lightweight databases.

Every option below is free to self-host and ranked by GitHub stars, so you can move off Notion without giving up the features you rely on.

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    AppFlowy

    AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy

    Build detailed lists of to-do’s for different projects while tracking the status of each one. Open Source Notion Alternative.

    Task ManagementDartDocker
  2. Rank 2:

    AFFiNE

    toeverything/AFFiNE

    Privacy-first workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases, an open-source Notion alternative.

    Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDocker
  3. Rank 3:

    Outline

    outline/outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

    Wikis & Knowledge BasesTypeScriptDocker

Why switch

Why teams move off Notion

Self-hosting is not only about saving money. These are the reasons people make the switch.

  • Own your data

    Your data lives on a server you control, not on Notion's infrastructure. No surprise policy changes and no lock-in.

  • No per-seat pricing

    Open-source alternatives to Notion are free to run for as many users as your server can handle. A small VPS often costs less than a single subscription.

  • Customize and extend

    Read the code, add plugins, connect it to your own tools and automate it through open APIs. When you need a feature, you can build it or fund it.

Full ranking

All 6 Notion alternatives

Ranked by GitHub stars. Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.

  1. 1

    AppFlowy

    Build detailed lists of to-do’s for different projects while tracking the status of each one. Open Source Notion Alternative.

  2. 2

    AFFiNE

    Privacy-first workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases, an open-source Notion alternative.

  3. 3

    Outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

  4. 4

    SiYuan

    A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.

  5. 5

    docmost Community Edition

    Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).

  6. 6

    Colanode

    Collaboration suite with real-time messaging, rich text pages, file management, and dynamic databases - built for offline work (alternative to Slack, Notion).

FAQ

Notion alternatives: FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open-source alternative to Notion?

AppFlowy is the most popular open-source alternative to Notion, with 77,152 GitHub stars. AFFiNE and Outline are also strong choices. Compare features, license and recent activity to find the best fit for your team.

Is there a free alternative to Notion?

Yes. All 6 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can run a Notion replacement without per-user fees. You only pay for the server, and a small VPS is usually enough for personal use or a small team.

Can I self-host an alternative to Notion?

Yes. AppFlowy, AFFiNE and Outline ship a Docker image, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose in a few minutes. Your data then stays on hardware you control.

How do I migrate from Notion?

Start by exporting your data from Notion, then check the import options of the app you pick, since many projects ship importers for popular formats. Run both side by side for a week before you switch so nothing is lost.