head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs Darkwrite
AppFlowy has 76,797 GitHub stars, 6,023 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Darkwrite has 315 stars, 14 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 24,280% (76,797 vs 315 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; Darkwrite is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Darkwrite 4%. Darkwrite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (notion-alternative), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| AppFlowy | Darkwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 315 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.0K | ⑂ 14 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AppFlowy if
- You weight community size — 77K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Darkwrite if
- You want the Darkwrite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Darkwrite fits your workflow better
About AppFlowy
AppFlowy is an open source collaborative workspace platform that combines note taking, project management, wikis, and AI features into a single interface. It runs as a desktop and mobile application and supports self hosting, built with Flutter for the frontend and Rust for the backend. AppFlowy lives in the productivity and knowledge management ecosystem, positioned explicitly as a Notion alternative.
read the full AppFlowy overview →
About Darkwrite
Darkwrite is an open source, cross platform desktop note taking application written in TypeScript and built on Electron, made for people who want to write notes without distraction, accounts, or a server holding their data.
read the full Darkwrite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or Darkwrite more popular?
AppFlowy has 76,797 GitHub stars and Darkwrite has 315. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and Darkwrite free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Darkwrite under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and Darkwrite?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and Darkwrite in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AppFlowy or Darkwrite?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (76,797 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Darkwrite if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.