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AFFiNE

✓ Verified FOSSAGPL-3.0
Top open-source alternative to Notion

AFFiNE is a privacy-first, open-source alternative to Notion and Miro. It merges docs, whiteboards, and multidimensional databases into a unified canvas with local-first offline synchronization.

Tech StackTypeScript, Rust, React
Self-Host DifficultyMedium
License ModelAGPL-3.0
GitHub Repositorytoeverything/AFFiNE

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode)
Min RAM:2 GB
Rec RAM:4 GB
Compute:2 vCPU
Disk Space:25 GB SSD

AFFiNE vs Notion Comparison Matrix

Evaluation CriteriaAFFiNE (Open Source)Notion (Proprietary)
Data ArchitectureLocal-first SQLite + CRDT real-time syncProprietary cloud database silo
Canvas & WhiteboardBuilt-in infinite multimodal spatial canvasPage-based linear doc blocks only
Team Collaboration Cost$0 (Self-hosted on Docker)$10 - $25 / user / month
INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $18/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Notion to Self-Hosted AFFiNE

Detailed Stack Calculator →
5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)
Notion (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax
$5,400per year ($450/mo)
3-Year Spend:$16,200

* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages

AFFiNE (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee
$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)
3-Year Compute:$360

* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance

Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$15,840Net savings across 36 months (98% reduction)
Annual Free Cash:+$5,280/yr
Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.

Core Capabilities & Features

✓Miro Whiteboard + Notion Docs
✓Local-First Architecture
✓Real-Time Collaboration
✓Markdown & S3 Sync

Self-Host AFFiNE with Docker Compose

Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:

1-Click Docker Compose Generator

Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.

AFFiNEAGPL-3.0

The next-gen knowledge base connecting docs, whiteboards, and databases

Difficulty: Medium73,418 ⭐
Configure Parameters
docker-compose.affine.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  affine:
    image: ghcr.io/toeverything/affine-graphql:latest
    container_name: affine-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "${PORT:-3010}:3010"
    environment:
      NODE_ENV: production
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://affine:${DB_PASSWORD:-affine_pwd}@postgres:5432/affine
      REDIS_SERVER_HOST: redis
    depends_on:
      - postgres
      - redis
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: affine
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-affine_pwd}
      POSTGRES_DB: affine
    volumes:
      - affine_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
volumes:
  affine_db:

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting AFFiNE

How do I self-host AFFiNE using Docker Compose?

You can deploy AFFiNE (toeverything/AFFiNE) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.

How does AFFiNE compare to Notion?

AFFiNE is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Notion built with TypeScript, Rust, React. Unlike Notion ($10 - $25 / user / month), AFFiNE has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.

What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for AFFiNE?

For production self-hosting (Medium difficulty tier), we recommend at least 4 GB RAM (minimum 2 GB), 2 vCPU, and 25 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode).

Is AFFiNE free for commercial business use under the AGPL-3.0 license?

Yes. Distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license, AFFiNE can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.

README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED

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SIMILAR REPOSITORIES // PEER COMPARISON

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