| Cost | Free forever — open source — the exact licence is in its repository (see the FAQ below). |
|---|---|
| Sign-up needed? | No — download, install, use. No account, no email, no activation key. |
| Internet needed? | Only to download it — then the program runs on your computer. (If its job is fetching from the internet, it needs a connection for that job.) |
| Your files & data | Stay on your computer — the tool itself uploads nothing. |
| Difficulty | No coding for normal use — see the FAQ for the honest detail. |
| Runs on | Desktop computer — its official site (linked below) lists the exact systems. |
| Still updated? | Yes — last code update 01 Nov 2026. |
| Best for | Writing and organising notes. |
✅ Get AFFiNE if you are professionals, teams, students and organized minds — or anyone who needs writing and organising notes — and wants it free, without a subscription.
⏭️ Skip AFFiNE if you want a tool that lives entirely in a browser tab with nothing to install.
💡 A real-life example: Every idea, meeting point and password hint goes in here — and two years later, one search finds the exact line you need.
There can be more than Notion and Miro. AFFiNE(pronounced [ə‘fain]) is a next-gen knowledge base that brings planning, sorting and creating all together. Privacy first, open-source, customizable and ready to use.
This is the project's own description from GitHub, shown as-is.
Yes — AFFiNE is free to download and use. It is open source. GitHub could not automatically detect a standard licence for it, so read the licence file in its repository before using it for paid work. There is no subscription and no trial that expires. (Free code does not always mean every hosted service built around a tool is free — if this project offers one, its own site lists any prices.)
No. You download it, install it and start. No account, no email, no activation key.
No — it runs on your own computer, so the files you open stay on your machine. It also keeps working without internet after you install it.
For everyday use, no coding is needed — any 'coding' label in its raw GitHub data describes how the code is shared, not how you use AFFiNE. Advanced options are there if you ever want them.
Yes — its code was last updated on 01 Nov 2026. It is actively maintained, which matters because operating systems and file formats keep changing.
Check its licence file in the repository first — GitHub could not auto-detect one, and without a licence you should not assume commercial use is allowed.
To download the full source code, generate this repository's public link below and run the clone command in a terminal. For the program itself, use the official website or releases link — those are the project's own, verified sources.
Official links: Official Website ↗ · Releases ↗ · Documentation (README) ↗
We never publish installation steps we have not verified — the README above is the source of truth.
⭐ 74053 stars · 🍴 5443 forks · 🐛 807 open issues · 💻 Language: TypeScript · 📄 License: NOASSERTION · Default branch: canary · 🗓️ Data last checked: 08 Nov 2026
Bring projects, wikis, and teams together with AI. AppFlowy is the AI collaborative workspace where you achieve more without losing control of your data. The leading open source…
Memos is an open-source, self-hosted note-taking app that brings your everyday thoughts together in a personal timeline. Your data stays yours, and you choose what to keep private…
Joplin - the privacy-focused note taking app with sync capabilities for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
An open-source, privacy-first, self-hosted knowledge workspace where humans and AI agents work together 开源、隐私优先、自托管的知识工作空间，让人与智能体在此协作
A privacy-first, open-source platform for knowledge management and collaboration. Download link: http://github.com/logseq/logseq/releases. roadmap: https://logseq.io/p/NX4mc_ggEV
An Open Source implementation of Notebook LM with more flexibility and features