head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs iwe
AppFlowy has 78,346 GitHub stars, 6,198 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. iwe has 1,816 stars, 94 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 4,214% (78,346 vs 1,816 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; iwe is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, iwe 5%. iwe 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
| AppFlowy | iwe | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 78K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.2K | ⑂ 94 |
| 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 iwe if
- You want the iwe 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 iwe 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 iwe
IWE Memory system for you and your AI agents Turn your thinking into queryable context IWE turns a directory of markdown files into a knowledge graph — a connected structure you browse from your editor and your AI queries from the command line. Same files, same links, two interfaces. No cloud, no database, no lock in. Version everything with git. IWE is for people who want database style queries on their notes — "all drafts under this subtree", "every accepted decision in Q1" — without moving them into an actual database. Write in Markdown , structure with links, give AI agents the tools to navigate your…
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or iwe more popular?
AppFlowy has 78,346 GitHub stars and iwe has 1,816. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and iwe free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and iwe under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and iwe?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and iwe 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, AppFlowy or iwe?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (78,346 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose iwe if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.