head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs notes
AppFlowy has 78,112 GitHub stars, 6,160 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. notes has 4,263 stars, 385 forks, 137 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 1,732% (78,112 vs 4,263 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; notes is written in C++ under MPL-2.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, notes 9%. 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 | notes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 78K | ★ 4.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-05-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.2K | ⑂ 385 |
| 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 notes if
- You want the notes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and notes 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 notes
Notes Notes is an open source and cross platform note taking app that is both beautiful and powerful. Website: notes foss.com Screenshots Features Overview Native app (written in C++ with Qt). Turn your Markdown tasks into a beautiful Kanban board. Fast and beautiful. Fully open source and cross platform (Linux, macOS, Windows). Completely private tracks nothing. Folders and tags. Organize your ideas hierarchically using nested folders and universally using tags. Markdown Support. Format text without lifting your hands from the keyboard. Different themes. Switch between Light, Dark, and Sepia. Feed View. Select…
read the full notes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or notes more popular?
AppFlowy has 78,112 GitHub stars and notes has 4,263. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and notes free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and notes under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and notes?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and notes 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 notes?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (78,112 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose notes if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.