AFFiNE vs Pad

Comparing two open source alternatives to Notion. 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.

Pad

Apache-2.0

Local-first project management for developers and AI agents, with a CLI, web UI, SQLite backend, and native skills for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and more.

Visit Full details

Side-by-side comparison

	AFFiNE	Pad
License	—	Apache-2.0
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	72,985	182
Forks	5,311	24
Open Issues	759	6
Last Commit	Sep 25, 2026	Sep 27, 2026
First Released	Jul 31, 2022	Mar 26, 2026
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools Knowledge Management Tools	Project Management
Tags	#knowledge-management #markdown #collaboration #whiteboard #self hosted	#local-first #cli #ai-agents #agent-tools #mcp-server

GitHub stars over time

AFFiNE

Pad182

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

Plane

Open-source project management platform — an alternative to Jira, Linear, Monday, and ClickUp.

Alternative to:

Jira

Devlane

Self-hostable project management for dev teams: issues, cycles, modules, pages, and analytics. Go + React alternative to Jira and Linear.

Alternative to:

Jira

Outline

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

Alternative to:

Notion