head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs reflect-open
AppFlowy has 78,922 GitHub stars, 6,283 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. reflect-open has 1,622 stars, 143 forks, 70 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 4,766% (78,922 vs 1,622 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; reflect-open is written in TypeScript under MIT. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, reflect-open 9%. reflect-open 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 | reflect-open | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 79K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 143 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AppFlowy if
- You weight community size — 79K 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 reflect-open if
- You want the reflect-open feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and reflect-open 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 reflect-open
Reflect Plain file notes for Mac and iPhone: daily notes, wiki links, local search, and optional AI over your own Markdown. Reflect is an open source note taking app built around a folder of Markdown files. It opens to today's note, lets [[wiki links]] connect people, projects, and ideas, and keeps search and backlinks fast without turning your notes into an app only database. The app does not require a Reflect account. Notes live in a folder you choose, and optional services such as AI providers, transcription, iCloud, GitHub, or another git remote are connected directly by the user. Features Daily notes: the…
read the full reflect-open overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or reflect-open more popular?
AppFlowy has 78,922 GitHub stars and reflect-open has 1,622. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and reflect-open free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and reflect-open under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and reflect-open?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and reflect-open 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 reflect-open?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (78,922 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose reflect-open if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.