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AppFlowy

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

AppFlowy is an open-source alternative to Notion that puts you in control of your data and privacy. Built with Flutter and Rust for native performance across desktop and mobile, with infinite offline canvas, Kanban boards, and document editing.

Tech StackFlutter, Rust, Go
Self-Host DifficultyEasy
License ModelAGPL-3.0
GitHub RepositoryAppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)
Min RAM:1 GB
Rec RAM:2 GB
Compute:1 vCPU
Disk Space:10 GB SSD

AppFlowy vs Notion Comparison Matrix

Evaluation CriteriaAppFlowy (Open Source)Notion (Proprietary)
Data Ownership100% Local / Self-HostedStored on Notion AWS
Offline ModeFull Offline CapabilityDegraded / Read-only
Cost per 20 Users$0 / Server Cost Only$200 - $500 / month
Open Source CodeFull AGPL-3.0 AccessProprietary Closed
INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $18/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Notion to Self-Hosted AppFlowy

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

AppFlowy (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

✓End-to-End Encryption
✓Native Offline First
✓Kanban & Table Views
✓Self-Hosted Cloud Sync

Self-Host AppFlowy 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.

AppFlowyAGPL-3.0

Open-source Notion alternative built with Flutter and Rust

Difficulty: Easy77,255 ⭐
Configure Parameters
docker-compose.appflowy.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  appflowy_cloud:
    image: appflowy/appflowy_cloud:latest
    container_name: appflowy-cloud
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "${PORT:-8000}:8000"
    environment:
      APPFLOWY_DATABASE_URL: postgres://postgres:${DB_PASSWORD:-appflowy_pwd}@postgres:5432/appflowy
      APPFLOWY_S3_ACCESS_KEY: ${S3_KEY:-minioadmin}
      APPFLOWY_S3_SECRET_KEY: ${S3_SECRET:-minioadmin}
    depends_on:
      - postgres
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: appflowy-postgres
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-appflowy_pwd}
      POSTGRES_DB: appflowy
    volumes:
      - appflowy_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  appflowy_pg_data:

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting AppFlowy

How do I self-host AppFlowy using Docker Compose?

You can deploy AppFlowy (AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy) 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 AppFlowy compare to Notion?

AppFlowy is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Notion built with Flutter, Rust, Go. Unlike Notion ($10 - $25 / user / month), AppFlowy 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 AppFlowy?

For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).

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

Yes. Distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license, AppFlowy 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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