AFFiNE vs HelixNotes

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.

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HelixNotes

AGPL-3.0

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

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Side-by-side comparison

	AFFiNE	HelixNotes
License	—	AGPL-3.0
Self-hostable	Yes	No
GitHub Stars	70,018	135
Forks	5,010	11
Open Issues	650	49
Last Commit	Jul 3, 2026	Jul 3, 2026
First Released	Jul 31, 2022	Feb 9, 2026
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools Knowledge Management Tools	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools
Tags	#knowledge-management #markdown #collaboration #whiteboard #self hosted	#markdown #notes #knowledge-management #productivity #privacy

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