If you use Notion for work and have started wondering who can read the documents you have stored there, AppFlowy is the project built for that question. It replicates the core Notion experience (rich documents, grid databases, kanban boards, calendar views, wikis) and runs locally on your own machine by default. No account required, no data leaving your device unless you explicitly set up sync. The project launched in 2021 and has 74,500+ stars on GitHub.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| What it is | Open-source workspace for documents, databases, and project management |
| Built by | AppFlowy-IO (the AppFlowy team) and open-source contributors |
| License | AGPL v3 (open-source license that requires sharing any modifications to the code) |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and web browser |
| Requires | 2 GHz 64-bit processor, 2 GB RAM, 500 MB disk (desktop install) |
| Install method | Installer download, Homebrew, Flatpak, Snap, or Docker |
| Verdict | The right choice for knowledge workers and teams who want Notion's functionality with local-first data ownership |
What AppFlowy actually is
AppFlowy is a local-first workspace (your data is stored on your own device by default, not a company's server). It covers the same ground as Notion: rich-text documents, structured databases, kanban boards, calendar views, and linked wikis, and it runs entirely offline. Sync across devices or team collaboration is available through AppFlowy's optional cloud or through self-hosting (running the software on your own server instead of a vendor's cloud) the sync backend yourself.
The frontend is built in Flutter (a toolkit from Google that lets one codebase run as a native app on every major platform), so AppFlowy runs identically on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. The backend data layer is written in Rust (a programming language known for speed and reliability), which keeps AppFlowy fast on older hardware and avoids the sluggishness Notion users sometimes hit in the browser.
The license is AGPL v3 (open-source, requires sharing any changes you make if you redistribute the software). For private internal use there is no catch. The project is at version 0.13.0 as of July 2026, with monthly releases and a public roadmap at AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy.
What you get after installing it
The feature surface is close to what Notion offers in its core product, organized around the same concepts.
Documents and wikis work the same way they do in Notion. Pages live in a sidebar hierarchy. You can nest pages inside pages, drag them to reorder, and link between them with @-mentions. The editor handles headings, toggles, callouts, code blocks, tables, and inline images. A template gallery ships with AppFlowy, covering meeting notes, project briefs, weekly reviews, and a dozen other starting points.
Databases are where AppFlowy earns its reputation. Each database gives you multiple views of the same underlying data: a grid (like a spreadsheet), a kanban board, a calendar, a timeline, a gallery, and a list view. You switch between them with one click. Field types cover text, numbers, dates, checkboxes, select, multi-select, URLs, and relations to other databases.
AI features are built in and optional. AppFlowy's AI layer can draft text, summarize pages, and generate database entries from prompts. On the paid cloud tier it uses hosted models including GPT-5 and Claude. On a self-hosted setup, version 0.13.0 added support for Qwen (a family of AI models from Alibaba, available to run on your own hardware), which means AI assistance with no data leaving your server.
Collaboration requires either AppFlowy's cloud or a self-hosted backend built on Supabase (an open-source backend platform AppFlowy uses for cloud sync). The free plan supports two members with 5 GB storage. The Pro plan at $10 per user per month (billed annually) expands this to 50 members with unlimited storage.
Mobile apps on iOS and Android cover the full document and database experience, which is not something every Notion competitor can claim.
The install experience
Download the installer from the AppFlowy GitHub releases page. Builds exist for macOS (universal, covering Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux in four formats: AppImage (a portable single-file format that runs on any Linux distribution), DEB (for Ubuntu and Debian), RPM (for Fedora), and a tar.gz archive. On macOS you can also use Homebrew (brew install --cask appflowy); on Linux, Flatpak and Snap are both available.
First launch opens a setup wizard. For local-only use, skip the sign-in screen and go straight to the workspace. Nothing to configure, no API keys, no backend to stand up.
For sync across devices or team collaboration, you sign in to AppFlowy's cloud or self-host the backend. The self-hosted path uses Docker (a tool that packages software with all its dependencies so it runs consistently on any server) and connects to a Supabase instance for authentication and storage. The official guide at appflowy.com/docs covers the full setup. Budget an hour if you are doing it for the first time; environment variables (configuration settings passed to the server before it starts, like database passwords and domain names) are involved.
The minimum requirements (2 GB RAM, 500 MB disk) are low enough that AppFlowy runs fine on hardware that would struggle with multiple Chrome tabs.
Where it fits and what to compare it to
AppFlowy's primary comparison is Notion. Notion is the benchmark it was built to match, and in core functionality (documents, databases, kanban, calendar, linked pages) it does match it closely. Notion's collaboration features (comments, @-mentions to teammates, page permissions) are more mature, particularly for large teams. Notion's web clipper (a browser extension that saves web pages directly into your workspace with one click) and third-party integration ecosystem are larger. AppFlowy's advantages are local data storage, offline-first reliability, and the ability to run the whole stack yourself. If your reason for evaluating AppFlowy is data control rather than cost, those advantages are the ones that matter.
Obsidian is local-first and excellent for personal note-taking, but lacks the database and project management features AppFlowy covers. If your work mixes structured data (task tracking, databases) with rich prose documents, AppFlowy covers more ground.
AnyType is the other major local-first Notion alternative. Its graph-based data model handles complex relationships better, but the learning curve is steeper and the interface is less familiar to Notion users. AppFlowy is the right starting point for a Notion migration; AnyType is worth evaluating if you have specific graph requirements.
Outline (26,000+ stars) is a self-hosted team wiki without the database and task management layer. Better choice if your team primarily needs shared documents rather than a full workspace with task boards.
If data ownership is not a concern and collaboration features matter most, stay on Notion. If you want your data local or self-hosted and accept a thinner integration ecosystem, AppFlowy is the most complete option in this category.
Verdict
Install AppFlowy if you want Notion's core workflow without your data sitting on Notion's servers.
For solo use, you get a fully functional workspace with zero configuration and zero cost. The Rust backend keeps it fast in ways the browser-based Notion sometimes does not match. The AGPL license and active public roadmap mean you are not betting on a project that could reprice or disappear.
The gaps are real: Notion's third-party integrations (Zapier, Slack, Google Drive, and hundreds of others), its web clipper (a browser extension that saves pages into your workspace), and its collaborative editing at scale are all ahead of where AppFlowy sits today.
The import from Notion works, the learning curve for Notion users is short, and the self-hosting path is documented. The 74,500-star count reflects real production use. For knowledge workers who want to own their workspace, AppFlowy is the most complete option in this category.