head to head · open source
AppFlowy vs Zen
AppFlowy has 78,112 GitHub stars, 6,160 forks, 1,030 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Zen has 1,194 stars, 65 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. AppFlowy leads on adoption by 6,442% (78,112 vs 1,194 stars). AppFlowy is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; Zen is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. AppFlowy has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Zen 5%. AppFlowy 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 | Zen | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 78K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-10-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.2K | ⑂ 65 |
| 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 Zen if
- You want the Zen feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Zen 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 Zen
Zen Live Demo • Features • Updates Features Single Go binary or Docker Compose Low resource usage Standard Markdown files, local SQLite database Organize with flexible tags, not rigid folders Markdown features like tables, code blocks, task lists, highlights, and more Full text search with BM25 ranking Import and export data with full portability Templates Pinned notes Archive and soft delete notes Bulk archive and delete Internal note links with side panel preview Minimal dependency footprint Automated backups (via Zen Backup) Import from other services (via Zen Import) Experimental Features Canvas for spatial…
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy or Zen more popular?
AppFlowy has 78,112 GitHub stars and Zen has 1,194. AppFlowy has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppFlowy and Zen free?
Both are open source. AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zen under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppFlowy and Zen?
AppFlowy is written in Dart and Zen in JavaScript. 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 Zen?
Choose AppFlowy if you want the larger community (78,112 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Zen if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.