head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs dnote
AppFlowy has 78,211 GitHub stars, 6,177 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. dnote has 3,091 stars, 123 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 20 days ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 2,430% (78,211 vs 3,091 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; dnote is written in Go under Apache-2.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, dnote 4%. AppFlowy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (note-taking), 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 | dnote | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 78K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.2K | ⑂ 123 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AppFlowy if
- You weight community size — 78K 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 dnote if
- You want the dnote feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and dnote fits your workflow better
About AppFlowy
AppFlowy ⭐️ The Open Source Alternative To Notion ⭐️ AppFlowy is the AI workspace where you achieve more without losing control of your data Website • Forum • Discord • Reddit • Twitter User Installation Download AppFlowy Desktop (macOS, Windows, and Linux) Other channels: FlatHub, Snapcraft, Sourceforge Available on App Store: iPhone Play Store: Android 10 or above; ARMv7 is not supported Self hosting AppFlowy Source Built With Flutter Rust Stay Up to Date Getting Started with development Please view the documentation for OS specific development instructions Roadmap AppFlowy Roadmap ReadMe AppFlowy Public…
read the full AppFlowy overview →
About dnote
========================= Dnote is a simple command line notebook. Single binary, no dependencies. Since 2017. Your notes are stored in one SQLite file portable, searchable, and completely under your control. Optional sync between devices via a self hosted server with REST API access. Installation Or download binary. Server (Optional) Server is a binary with SQLite embedded. No database setup is required. If using docker, create a compose.yml: Then run: Or see the guide for binary installation. Documentation See the Dnote doc.
read the full dnote overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or dnote more popular?
AppFlowy has 78,211 GitHub stars and dnote has 3,091. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and dnote free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and dnote under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and dnote?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and dnote in Go. 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 dnote?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (78,211 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose dnote if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.