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	71,632	157
Forks	5,153	16
Open Issues	712	57
Last Commit	Aug 17, 2026	Jul 23, 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

GitHub stars over time

AFFiNE71,632

HelixNotes

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