head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs mindforger
AppFlowy has 76,833 GitHub stars, 6,021 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. mindforger has 2,719 stars, 173 forks, 625 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 2,726% (76,833 vs 2,719 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; mindforger is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, mindforger 6%. mindforger 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 | mindforger | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.0K | ⑂ 173 |
| 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 mindforger if
- You want the mindforger feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and mindforger 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 mindforger
MindForger is a free, open source thinking notebook and Markdown editor for people who keep private remarks — ideas, personal plans, gift tips, how tos, dreams, business vision, finance strategy, auto coaching notes — on their own machine and want to find and connect them again instead of scattering them across the file system, cloud, web, and Post it notes.
read the full mindforger overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or mindforger more popular?
AppFlowy has 76,833 GitHub stars and mindforger has 2,719. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and mindforger free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and mindforger under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and mindforger?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and mindforger in C++. 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 mindforger?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (76,833 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose mindforger if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.