Best Free & Open Source Alternatives to Notion

AFFiNE is an open-source, privacy-first workspace that merges three tools into one: a rich document editor, an infinite whiteboard, and a database-style organiser. It is designed to replace the combination of Notion for notes and Miro for visual collaboration.

Built with a local-first architecture using CRDT, AFFiNE works offline by default and syncs when connected — meaning your data lives on your device, not just in the cloud. It supports both self-hosted deployment and AFFiNE Cloud for teams that want a managed option.

AFFiNE is highly customisable and supports markdown, block-based editing, kanban views, and edgeless canvas mode for mind-mapping and diagramming. Written in TypeScript and Rust, it is actively developed and positions itself as a next-generation alternative for knowledge workers who want flexibility without vendor lock-in.

Outline is a fast, modern, open source knowledge base and wiki built for growing teams. It is a popular self-hostable alternative to Notion and Confluence, with a focus on speed, a polished editor, and an excellent Markdown experience.

Outline includes real-time collaborative editing, nested documents, full-text search, public sharing, embeds for Figma, Loom, YouTube, and more, plus a clean permission model. It exports and imports Markdown seamlessly, which makes it a favourite for developer documentation and product wiki use cases.

Released under a source-available BSL license, Outline is built with Node.js, React, and TypeScript. The community edition is fully self-hostable, and a hosted cloud plan is available for teams that want managed infrastructure.

BookStack is an open source platform for creating documentation and wikis, built around an intuitive books, chapters, and pages model. It is a popular self-hostable alternative to Confluence, Notion, and Slab for teams that want a structured, easy-to-use knowledge base without a heavy subscription.

BookStack provides a WYSIWYG editor, a full-text search, image management, multi-factor authentication, role-based permissions, LDAP/OIDC SSO, and a built-in audit log. Content can be organised in a flat hierarchy (Books → Chapters → Pages) or with tags, and access can be fine-tuned at every level.

Released under MIT and built on PHP, Laravel, and MySQL, BookStack is a great fit for internal documentation, handbooks, and team wikis that need structure, simplicity, and full data ownership.

SilverBullet is a powerful, markdown-based personal knowledge management tool and note-taking app optimized for people with a hacker mindset. It stores all notes as plain markdown files and extends them with a live query and template system that lets you create dynamic, database-like views within your notes.

Key features include live queries that pull data from across your note space into any note, slash commands for quick insertion of templates and snippets, a command palette, full-text search, backlinks, a rich plugin system (Plugs), and a web-based interface that works offline. SilverBullet is serverless — it runs entirely in the browser for a single user, or can be hosted on a server for access from multiple devices.

For Obsidian or Notion users who want something more programmable and self-hostable, SilverBullet's live query engine and template system provide a uniquely powerful approach to building a second brain and personal knowledge base.

Files.md is a minimal, local-first note-taking application built around plain Markdown files. Unlike complex knowledge management tools, it focuses on simplicity and portability: there is no build system, no database, and no vendor lock-in. You open web/index.html in your browser and start writing.

The app supports notes, documents, projects, journals, habits, checklists, and tasks. All data lives in local .md files that you fully own. A Telegram bot provides on-the-go access, and the server is a single binary for those who want self-hosted sync. The project is deliberately small enough that a single developer (or an LLM) can understand the entire codebase.

Compared to Notion, Obsidian, or Evernote, Files.md trades advanced features for extreme simplicity and data ownership. There are no plugins, no graph views, and no AI workflows—just plain text files that work offline and sync via iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive.

NoteDiscovery is an open-source, self-hosted knowledge base designed for personal note-taking and knowledge management. Built with a modern JavaScript stack and FastAPI backend, it provides a clean interface for capturing and organizing your thoughts.

The application supports markdown formatting, making it easy to write and format notes. It is designed around the Zettelkasten methodology, a powerful system for connecting ideas and building a personal knowledge network.

As a self-hosted solution, NoteDiscovery gives you complete control over your data and privacy. It can be easily deployed using Docker, making setup straightforward for users familiar with containerization. Whether you are looking to replace Notion, Evernote, or Obsidian with a privacy-focused alternative, NoteDiscovery offers a compelling option.

Colanode is an open source, local-first collaboration suite that combines a Notion-style knowledge base with a Slack-style team chat in a single desktop application. It is built on CRDTs (Yjs) and SQLite, so every change is replicated locally first and then synced peer-to-peer or through a self-hosted server.

Pages, databases, channels, and threads are all stored in a local SQLite database on each user’s machine, meaning you can keep working fully offline. The desktop client is built with Electron, while the server component is small and can be self-hosted on a Raspberry Pi or a small VPS.

Colanode is released under Apache-2.0 and is well suited to small teams and communities that want the productivity of Notion and Slack while keeping conversations, documents, and data on hardware they control.

Atomic is a self-hosted personal knowledge base that stores information as atoms — markdown notes that are automatically chunked, embedded, and linked by semantic similarity. It builds a knowledge graph from your notes and lets you explore connections on a spatial canvas powered by force-directed layout.

Key features include semantic vector search (sqlite-vec), LLM-powered wiki synthesis that generates articles from your notes with inline citations, an agentic chat interface for RAG-style conversations with your knowledge base, automatic tag extraction, RSS feed sync, a browser extension for web clipping, and an MCP server for Claude integration. AI providers are pluggable — use OpenRouter for cloud models or Ollama for fully local AI.

Atomic runs as a Tauri desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux), a self-hosted Docker server, or deployed to Fly.io. A native iOS SwiftUI app is also available. Compared to Obsidian, Atomic has AI-powered synthesis and semantic search built in without plugins; compared to NotebookLM, it is fully self-hosted and supports local AI via Ollama; compared to Notion, it is open source and designed around a personal, linked knowledge graph rather than collaborative databases.

AppFlowy is an open source, AI-powered collaborative workspace that serves as a privacy-friendly alternative to Notion, Coda, and ClickUp. Built with Flutter and Rust, it lets you build pages, databases, kanban boards, calendars, and grids — all stored locally or on infrastructure you control.

Unlike Notion, AppFlowy does not lock your data behind a vendor. You can self-host the AppFlowy-Cloud backend, sync across devices, and extend the app with custom plugins written in Dart or Rust. The recent releases add AI features such as automatic page summaries, smart writing assistance, and natural-language database queries — all backed by bring-your-own-model support so the data never leaves your environment.

AppFlowy targets individuals and small teams who want the productivity of a modern workspace without giving up ownership of their data. It is suitable for personal note-taking, team wikis, lightweight project management, and content planning.

Many Notes is a Markdown note-taking web application designed for simplicity. Easily create or import your vaults and organize your thoughts right away. It uses a database to power its features, but your files are also saved in the filesystem, giving you full control over your vault structure and ensuring easy access and portability.

Vaults are simply storage containers for your files, and Many Notes lets you choose to keep all your files in one vault or organize them into separate vaults. The app supports multiple users, OAuth authentication, real-time collaboration with live-updating interfaces, and an advanced Markdown editor with automatic saving. Additional features include links, backlinks, tags for note organization, export to PDF, import/export vaults for backup, and a Progressive Web App experience for a native app-like feel.

Scratch is a minimalist, offline-first markdown note-taking app built for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Unlike cloud-based alternatives, Scratch stores all your notes as plain .md files that you fully own — no account required, no internet connection needed.

It features WYSIWYG editing that saves as markdown, a preview mode for any .md file via drag-and-drop or "Open With", markdown source mode toggle, syntax highlighting for 20+ languages with a GitHub-inspired color scheme, Mermaid diagram support, KaTeX math rendering, wikilinks with autocomplete, slash commands for quick formatting, focus mode for distraction-free writing, and optional Git integration for version control and multi-device sync.

Scratch is built with Tauri, React, and Tailwind CSS, making it lightweight — 5-10x smaller than Obsidian or Notion. It also integrates with local AI tools like Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode, or Ollama for editing notes with AI, and detects external file changes so it works seamlessly alongside other tools.

TriliumNext Notes (a community fork of Trilium Notes) is a powerful, open-source personal knowledge base application focused on building large, hierarchical note collections. It supports rich text editing, markdown, code blocks with syntax highlighting, diagrams, relation maps, and advanced scripting via JavaScript.

Notes are organized in a tree structure, but each note can appear in multiple places through clones — a flexible approach that lets you organize information in interconnected ways. Trilium also features a powerful attribute system for tagging and templating notes, and a scripting API that enables custom automations.

For self-hosters, Trilium can be deployed as a web server and accessed from any browser. It syncs across multiple instances, supports end-to-end encryption for sensitive notes, and exports to standard formats. It is an ideal alternative to Notion or Obsidian for users who want complete data ownership and a deeply customizable note-taking system.

kuku is an open-source, local-first Markdown workspace for macOS designed for people who want their notes to stay portable, private, and useful to AI. It edits ordinary .md files in a local vault, then layers search, graph navigation, AI assistance, Second Brain workflows, and encrypted sync on top.

The app connects notes with [[wikilinks]], backlinks, and 2D/3D graph navigation, turning your vault into a personal wiki. AI features include Agent, Ask, and Inline editing modes with diff-based approval, so proposed changes are always reviewable before they are applied. Decision documents help AI context improve explicitly over time by turning proposals into traceable memory and wiki updates.

Built as a full-stack open-source project, kuku includes the macOS client, web app, Go server, protobuf contracts, Rust AI/indexing crates, and Docker infrastructure. You can use it entirely offline, sign in for managed convenience, or self-host the complete stack yourself.

Huly (built on the Hardcore Engineering platform) is an open source all-in-one productivity suite designed to replace a stack of paid tools with a single self-hostable application. It bundles an issue tracker, project planner, team chat, wiki, CRM, HR, ATS, and even quality management into one cohesive workspace.

It positions itself as a direct alternative to Linear and Jira for engineering teams, while also replacing Notion or Coda for documentation, Slack or Discord for chat, HubSpot for CRM, and Motion for AI scheduling. Because all modules share a single data model, work items, conversations, contacts, and documents stay in sync without glue code or paid integrations.

Huly is built with TypeScript and runs on Node.js and MongoDB, with first-class Docker and Kubernetes support. The community edition is fully open source under EPL-2.0, while a cloud-hosted tier is available for teams that do not want to manage infrastructure.

Focalboard is an open-source, self-hosted project management tool created by the team behind Mattermost. It serves as a direct alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana, providing a flexible and customizable way to manage tasks, projects, and workflows.

The tool supports multiple views including kanban boards, tables, galleries, and calendars — giving teams the flexibility to visualize their work the way they want. It comes in two editions: a Personal Desktop app for individuals (available on macOS, Windows, and Linux) and a Personal Server for self-hosted team collaboration.

Focalboard features drag-and-drop task management, customizable properties and card templates, markdown support in card descriptions, and a clean, modern interface. Being part of the Mattermost ecosystem, it integrates deeply with Mattermost's messaging platform as the Boards plugin. While development on the standalone version has slowed, the project remains a solid choice for teams seeking a self-hosted project management solution.

4ga Boards is a straightforward, realtime kanban board management system designed for intuitive task tracking and team productivity. Built with a focus on simplicity and elegance, it offers an intuitive UI/UX with a built-in dark mode, advanced markdown editor, and multitasking capabilities that let you simultaneously edit cards while filtering and rearranging boards.

The platform features a multi-level hierarchy (projects → boards → lists → cards → tasks) with collapsible lists and sidebar for easier navigation in complex projects. It supports Google, GitHub, Microsoft, and OIDC SSO for authentication, and offers powerful keyboard shortcuts alongside support for 17 languages. Real-time updates happen without page reloads, and you can export and import boards for portability.

4ga Boards supports Trello import for easy migration and offers flexible deployment options including Docker Compose, Kubernetes, TrueNAS, and manual installation. The tech stack includes React, Redux, Sails.js, and PostgreSQL.

HedgeDoc (formerly CodiMD) is an open-source, self-hosted realtime collaborative markdown editor. Multiple users can edit the same document simultaneously with real-time sync, making it ideal for meeting notes, documentation, and knowledge sharing.

HedgeDoc supports the full CommonMark markdown spec plus many extensions: math equations (MathJax/KaTeX), diagrams (Mermaid, PlantUML, Graphviz), syntax-highlighted code blocks, interactive checklists, and embedded media. Documents can be published as presentations (using reveal.js), exported to PDF, or shared via public link.

For teams that collaborate on text documents, HedgeDoc provides a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Docs or Notion. It integrates with various authentication providers (LDAP, OAuth, email) and can be deployed with Docker. Each document gets a shareable URL and notes are stored with full version history.

OpenKnowledge is a local-first, AI-native markdown editor and LLM wiki. It provides a WYSIWYG editing experience for .md and .mdx files that feels closer to Google Docs or Notion than to a traditional text editor, while still keeping the underlying files as plain, git-trackable markdown.

The editor is built around LLM collaboration. It ships with first-class integrations for Claude (Claude Code), Codex, and Cursor, plus an MCP server, agent skills, and a CLI so any agent harness can read, edit, and search your knowledge base. Out of the box it works as a second brain and spec-driven development workspace for LLM wikis.

OpenKnowledge runs entirely on your machine. A native macOS app is available, and a Node.js-based web editor + CLI work on Linux, Windows, and Intel Macs. Team sharing and auto-sync are powered by GitHub under the hood, so there is no vendor lock-in and your notes stay in standard markdown you can open in Obsidian, VS Code, or any other tool. Compared to Notion, you get the same fluid editing and AI features without cloud storage fees or proprietary formats; compared to Obsidian, you get a more polished WYSIWYG experience and deeper agent integrations out of the box.

Jotty is a minimalist, self-hosted note-taking and checklist application built for simplicity and control. It stores notes as plain files, giving you full ownership of your data without relying on any proprietary sync service.

Designed for homelab and personal use, Jotty covers everyday productivity needs — quick notes, to-do lists, and checklists — without the complexity of feature-heavy tools like Notion. It is lightweight by design, making it easy to deploy and maintain on your own infrastructure.

With Docker-based deployment, Jotty is a practical choice for self-hosters who want a fast, no-frills notes manager that stays out of the way.

Anchor is an offline-first, self-hostable note-taking application built around speed, privacy, and reliability across web and mobile. Notes are stored locally, fully editable without an internet connection, and synced across devices when you come back online, so your data is always available and always under your control.

The app ships with a rich text editor (bold, italic, underline, headings, lists, checkboxes), custom tags with colors, image and audio attachments, customizable note backgrounds, pinning, archiving, and a soft-delete trash with a recovery period. Notes can be shared with other users on the same instance as either viewers or editors, and an admin panel handles user management, registration control, and system statistics. Authentication is handled locally or via any OIDC provider such as Pocket ID, Authelia, Authentik, or Keycloak.

Unlike Google Keep, which is locked to Google's ecosystem and account system, Anchor runs as a single Docker container (with an optional external PostgreSQL database) that you host on your own infrastructure. There is no telemetry, no vendor lock-in, and your notes never leave your server unless you explicitly share them. It is a great fit for anyone who wants Keep's lightweight feel combined with the privacy, portability, and long-term control of self-hosted software.

Anytype is an open source, local-first productivity suite that combines a Notion-style block editor, databases, kanban boards, calendars, and a peer-to-peer sync network. It is built around a CRDT-based protocol (any-sync) that encrypts all content end-to-end and replicates between devices without a central server.

Anytype is fully usable offline, supports rich blocks, relations, sets, queries, and a powerful type system that lets users define their own data structures. The desktop and mobile clients are open source, and the network is operated as a public, permissionless system for anyone to join.

Released under a source-available license and available for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, Anytype is a strong fit for individuals and small teams that want a private, vendor-independent alternative to Notion, Obsidian, and Roam Research.

Wiki.js is a modern and powerful open-source wiki engine built on Node.js, designed for organizations and individuals who want a fast, flexible, and self-hosted knowledge base.

✨ Key Features

• Modern UI – Clean, responsive, and intuitive design for easy navigation.
• Markdown-first – Write and format content in Markdown with real-time preview.
• Git-backed storage – Version control and synchronization with Git repositories.
• Authentication & Access Control – Integrates with LDAP, SAML, OAuth2, Azure AD, and more.
• Built-in Search – Full-text search with multiple database options.
• Modular & Extensible – Customize with a wide range of modules and integrations.
• Multi-language Support – Collaborate globally with localization options.
• Media Management – Upload, organize, and manage assets directly in the wiki.

🚀 Use Cases

• Team documentation
• Internal company wiki
• Developer knowledge base
• Project collaboration hub
• Personal knowledge management

🔄 Alternatives

Wiki.js is often compared to tools like Confluence, Notion, BookStack, Outline, and traditional wiki engines such as MediaWiki and DokuWiki.

📦 Get Started

• Source Code: GitHub – requarks/wiki
• Official Website & Docs: wiki.js.org

HelixNotes is a local-first markdown note-taking application built with Tauri, SvelteKit, and Rust. Unlike cloud-based alternatives, it stores your notes as standard Markdown files on your local filesystem — giving you complete ownership and zero vendor lock-in.

The app features a rich WYSIWYG editor powered by TipTap with slash commands, tables, and code highlighting, alongside a source mode for raw Markdown editing. You can link notes with [[wiki-links]] and explore connections through an interactive graph view. Full-text search is powered by Tantivy for instant results across your entire vault.

HelixNotes supports KaTeX math rendering, Mermaid diagrams, daily notes with a built-in calendar, version history with diffs, automatic backups, and AI writing tools via local Ollama or your own API keys. It runs natively on Linux, Windows, macOS, and Android without Electron — making it significantly faster and lighter than many competitors.