head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs saber
AppFlowy has 78,112 GitHub stars, 6,160 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. saber has 5,006 stars, 421 forks, 401 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 1,460% (78,112 vs 5,006 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; saber is written in Dart under GPL-3.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, saber 8%. saber was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (flutter), 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 | saber | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 78K | ★ 5.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.2K | ⑂ 421 |
| 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 saber if
- You want the saber feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and saber 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 saber
Saber [ ][google play] [ ][f droid] [ ][app store] [ ][download windows] [ ][flathub] [ ][download appimage] English čeština Deutsch 中文 (简体中文, 中国) 中文 (繁體, 台灣) العربية Tiếng Việt Saber is the notes app built for handwriting. It's designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible, while still delivering unique features that you'll actually use. Additionally, Saber is available across all your devices, large and small, and syncs between them seamlessly. Notably, it can invert your notes when you're in dark mode. This allows you to write with white ink on a black background, which is much easier on the eyes in low…
read the full saber overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or saber more popular?
AppFlowy has 78,112 GitHub stars and saber has 5,006. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and saber free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and saber under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and saber?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and saber in Dart. 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 saber?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (78,112 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose saber if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.