Anchor vs Rowboat

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

Anchor

AGPL-3.0

Offline-first, self-hostable note-taking app with rich text, tags, attachments, and cross-device sync via Docker.

Visit Full details

Rowboat

Apache-2.0

Open-source desktop AI coworker with a living knowledge graph, built-in email, browser, meeting notes, and code mode.

Visit Full details

Side-by-side comparison

	Anchor	Rowboat
License	AGPL-3.0	Apache-2.0
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	1,239	17,338
Forks	52	1,720
Open Issues	48	159
Last Commit	Aug 16, 2026	Aug 20, 2026
First Released	Dec 1, 2025	Jan 13, 2025
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools Automation Tools AI Coding Agents
Tags	#notes #self hosted #offline-first #cross-platform #docker	#ai #ai agent #desktop-app

GitHub stars over time

Anchor1,239

Rowboat

Similar open source alternatives

Kestra

Event-driven workflow orchestration platform with a YAML-based pipeline DSL, 500+ plugins, and a built-in UI editor.

Alternative to:

Zapier

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

Sim

Sim is an open-source workspace to build, deploy, and orchestrate AI agents and agentic workflows. Visually connect LLMs, tools, and data sources without giving up control.

Alternative to:

Lindy AI