Robust, locally hosted web application that allows you to perform all operations on PDF files
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.
Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing
Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)AppFlowy vs Notion Comparison Matrix
| Evaluation Criteria | AppFlowy (Open Source) | Notion (Proprietary) |
|---|---|---|
| Data Ownership | 100% Local / Self-Hosted | Stored on Notion AWS |
| Offline Mode | Full Offline Capability | Degraded / Read-only |
| Cost per 20 Users | $0 / Server Cost Only | $200 - $500 / month |
| Open Source Code | Full AGPL-3.0 Access | Proprietary Closed |
Financial Impact: Migrating from Notion to Self-Hosted AppFlowy
* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages
* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance
Compare AppFlowy Head-to-Head
Comprehensive benchmark comparing AppFlowy against proprietary Notion licensing and features.
Flutter Native Desktop vs Collaborative Whiteboard Canvas
Multimodal Infinite Canvas vs Closed-SaaS Relational Workspace
Browser-Based PDF Utilities vs Automated Document Archival & OCR
Modern Fast Markdown Knowledge Base vs Heavy Atlassian Wiki
Organized Book/Chapter Hierarchy vs Enterprise Wiki Sprawl
Core Capabilities & Features
Self-Host AppFlowy with Docker Compose
Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:
1-Click Docker Compose Generator
Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.
Open-source Notion alternative built with Flutter and Rust
version: "3.8"
services:
appflowy_cloud:
image: appflowy/appflowy_cloud:latest
container_name: appflowy-cloud
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "${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.
Embed Official AppFlowy Badge in GitHub README
Served locally from OSSMatrix with Cloudflare global edge caching. Real-time verified alternative status, zero third-party dependencies, sub-5ms load time.
[](https://ossmatrix.com/project/appflowy)<a href="https://ossmatrix.com/project/appflowy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://ossmatrix.com/api/badge/appflowy" alt="AppFlowy on OSSMatrix" /></a>Compare AppFlowy with Other Self-Hosted Alternatives
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