AFFiNE vs Files.md

Comparing two open source alternatives to Notion and Obsidian and Evernote. Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

AFFiNE

Open-source knowledge base combining note-taking, whiteboard, and project planning in one workspace.

Visit Full details

Files.md

MIT

A simple local-first note-taking app for your plain .md files with Telegram bot access.

Visit Full details

Side-by-side comparison

	AFFiNE	Files.md
License	—	MIT
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	72,516	4,144
Forks	5,268	217
Open Issues	743	8
Last Commit	Sep 13, 2026	Sep 2, 2026
First Released	Jul 31, 2022	May 23, 2023
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools Knowledge Management Tools	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools
Tags	#knowledge-management #markdown #collaboration #whiteboard #self hosted	#markdown #notes #local-first #pwa #wiki

GitHub stars over time

AFFiNE72,516

Files.md

Similar open source alternatives

AppFlowy

Open source Notion alternative that brings projects, wikis, and teams together with AI while keeping you in control of your data.

Alternative to:

Notion

HelixNotes

A fast, privacy-first local markdown note-taking app built with Tauri and SvelteKit. Your notes stay as plain .md files on your device.

Alternative to:

Obsidian

Jotty

Lightweight self-hosted app for managing personal file-based notes and checklists.

Alternative to:

Notion

Outline

The fastest growing-team knowledge base — beautiful, realtime collaborative, feature packed, and markdown compatible Notion and Confluence alternative.

Alternative to:

Notion

memos

Privacy-first, self-hosted note-taking platform with markdown support, tagging, and built-in AI — a lightweight alternative to Notion and Obsidian.

Alternative to:

Obsidian

SilverBullet

Markdown-based note-taking app with powerful live queries, templates, and a pluggable scripting system for power users.

Alternative to:

Notion