Notion vs AppFlowy client core

Fit:

Migration notes

AGPL client supports documents/databases and local data control. Full team replacement needs separately commercial self-hosted services; do not treat AGPL client as unlimited OSS server.

Sources: github.com, github.com · checked 2026-10-21

NotionPaid incumbent

Entry priceNot established

Pricing modelper-seat, billed monthly

OwnerNotion Labs, Inc.

Paid Plus exists; page auto-selected EUR 9.50/member/month and billing state was ambiguous. USD entry intentionally unverified; free SaaS tier is not OSS. Source

Notion plans reviewed
Plus	entry	USD 120 / user / yr
Business	popular	USD 240 / user / yr
Business	business	USD 240 / user / yr
Enterprise	enterprise	Quote only

AppFlowy client coreOpen-source alternative

Fit for Notion

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 Permissions of this strongest copyleft license are conditioned on making available complete source code of licensed works and modifications, which include larger works using a licensed work, under the same license. Copyright and license notices must be preserved. Contributors provide an express grant of patent rights. When a modified version is used to provide a service over a network, the complete source code of the modified version must be made available. May Commercial useModificationDistributionPatent usePrivate use Must License and copyright noticeState changesDisclose sourceNetwork use is distributionSame license No LiabilityWarranty Summary from GitHub's choosealicense.com

Paid-feature tier U

Self-host

Paid-feature limits2 noted

AppFlowy client core plans reviewed
AGPL client core	free local desktop/core	Free
Pro	vendor commercial cloud	USD 144 / user / yr
Seed or higher self-hosted	commercial collaboration server	Not established

What you may give up

Current commercial self-hosted server free tier is limited to one user seat per instance and three guest editors.
Commercial server enterprise authentication needs Seed or higher; server is separately licensed.

Tier U: AGPL client core is OSI, but current production collaboration uses separately commercial server images. Full collaborative self-hosted OSS eligibility is unresolved; archived AGPL AppFlowy-Cloud excluded. Local client remains usable under AGPL. Excluded from default OSS collaboration recommendations pending a clearly eligible maintained full stack. License source

What running it takes

Desktop client OS

Hover or focus an icon for its name. Dashed means not established; struck through means no; grouped icons are alternatives.

Assigned record is AGPL client core. Production self-host collaboration is separately commercial; free commercial server limited to1seat/3guest editors. Archived AGPL cloud not recommended as maintained production path. Infrastructure and staff time are not priced here; this page does not compare total cost.