head to head · open source
Affine vs Graphite
Affine has 74,123 GitHub stars, 5,454 forks, 732 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Graphite has 27,821 stars, 1,311 forks, 562 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Affine leads on adoption by 166% (74,123 vs 27,821 stars). Affine is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Graphite is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Affine has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Graphite 5%. Graphite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Affine | Graphite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 74K | ★ 28K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Affine if
- You weight community size — 74K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Graphite if
- You want the Graphite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Graphite fits your workflow better
About Affine
AFFiNE.Pro Write, Draw and Plan All at Once A privacy focused, local first, open source, and ready to use alternative for Notion & Miro. One hyper fused platform for wildly creative minds. Home Page Discord Live Demo Blog Documentation [![All Contributors][all contributors badge]]( contributors) [![TypeScript version icon]]( Docs, canvas and tables are hyper merged with AFFiNE just like the word affine (əˈfʌɪn a fine). Getting started & staying tuned with us. Star us, and you will receive all release notifications from GitHub without any delay! What is AFFiNE AFFiNE is an open source, all in one workspace and an…
read the full Affine overview →
About Graphite
Your procedural toolbox for 2D content creation Graphite is a free, open source vector and raster graphics engine, available now in alpha. Get creative with a fully nondestructive editing workflow that combines layer based compositing with node based generative design. Having begun life as a vector editor, Graphite continues evolving into a generalized, all in one graphics toolbox that's built more like a game engine than a conventional creative app. The editor's tools wrap its node graph core, providing user friendly workflows for vector, raster, and beyond. Photo editing, motion graphics, digital painting…
read the full Graphite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Affine or Graphite more popular?
Affine has 74,123 GitHub stars and Graphite has 27,821. Affine has the larger community by that measure.
Are Affine and Graphite free?
Both are open source. Affine has no licence declared in this registry, and Graphite is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Affine and Graphite?
Affine is written in TypeScript and Graphite in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Affine or Graphite?
Choose Affine if you want the larger community (74,123 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Graphite if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.