Asana
Web and mobile work management platform to organize and track team projects and tasks
AppFlowy
AI-powered workspace alternative to Notion with data control
AppFlowy is an AI collaborative workspace built with Flutter and Rust that delivers Notion-like functionality while keeping you in full control of your data across all platforms.
Overview
The Privacy-First Workspace
AppFlowy is an AI-powered collaborative workspace designed for individuals and teams who want Notion's elegant functionality without sacrificing data ownership. Built from the ground up with Flutter and Rust, it delivers a native cross-platform experience on desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android).
Who It's For
Individuals seeking a secure, customizable knowledge management tool will find AppFlowy's privacy-first architecture compelling. Enterprises and developers gain access to building blocks and collaboration infrastructure that can be extended, self-hosted, and modified to fit unique workflows—all from a single, maintainable codebase.
Core Philosophy
AppFlowy prioritizes three values: data privacy first, reliable native experience, and community-driven extensibility. Rather than chasing feature parity with commercial alternatives, the project focuses on democratizing the tools needed to build sophisticated workplace management systems. You can self-host your instance, customize the interface, and integrate AI capabilities while maintaining 100% control over your information.
Highlights
Cross-platform native apps built with Flutter and Rust for desktop and mobile
Self-hosting support with full data ownership and privacy controls
AI workspace capabilities integrated into collaborative workflows
Extensible architecture with building blocks for custom app development
Pros
- Complete data ownership with self-hosting options and AGPL-3.0 licensing
- True native performance across macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android
- Active community with 65,000+ GitHub stars and transparent public roadmap
- Single codebase architecture simplifies customization and long-term maintenance
Considerations
- Feature set still maturing compared to established commercial alternatives like Notion
- Requires technical expertise for self-hosting and advanced customization
- Smaller ecosystem of integrations and third-party extensions than mature platforms
- Community-driven development may result in slower feature delivery timelines
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Fit guide
Great for
- Privacy-conscious individuals and organizations requiring data sovereignty
- Development teams wanting to build custom workplace tools on proven infrastructure
- Users seeking a Notion alternative with native mobile and desktop performance
- Enterprises needing self-hosted collaboration platforms with extensibility
Not ideal when
- Teams requiring extensive third-party integrations and plugin ecosystems immediately
- Non-technical users who prefer fully managed SaaS without self-hosting complexity
- Organizations needing feature parity with Notion or advanced enterprise workflows today
- Projects requiring ARMv7 Android device support
How teams use it
Self-Hosted Team Wiki
Deploy AppFlowy on internal infrastructure to create a secure, customizable knowledge base where sensitive documentation stays under full organizational control.
Personal Knowledge Management
Build a privacy-first second brain with AI assistance, syncing notes and projects across devices without surrendering data to third-party cloud providers.
Custom Project Management Platform
Leverage AppFlowy's building blocks and Rust/Flutter codebase to develop tailored project tracking tools that match unique team workflows.
Privacy-Compliant Documentation Hub
Meet strict data residency and compliance requirements by self-hosting a collaborative workspace for regulated industries like healthcare or finance.
Tech snapshot
Dart74%
Rust24%
C++1%
Shell1%
CMake1%
HTML1%
Frequently asked questions
How does AppFlowy compare to Notion?
AppFlowy offers similar workspace functionality with a focus on data privacy, self-hosting, and native performance. While Notion has a more mature feature set, AppFlowy gives you full control over your data and the ability to customize the platform.
Can I self-host AppFlowy?
Yes, AppFlowy supports self-hosting, allowing you to deploy it on your own infrastructure for complete data sovereignty. Documentation is available in the repository for setup instructions.
What platforms does AppFlowy support?
AppFlowy runs natively on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS (via App Store), and Android 10+ (via Play Store). Desktop versions are also available through FlatHub, Snapcraft, and Sourceforge.
Is AppFlowy suitable for non-technical users?
Individual users can download and use AppFlowy like any desktop or mobile app. However, self-hosting and advanced customization require technical expertise with Flutter, Rust, or server administration.
What license does AppFlowy use?
AppFlowy is licensed under AGPL-3.0, which requires that any modifications distributed or used as a network service must also be open-sourced under the same license.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 67,635
- Watchers
- 67,635
- Forks
- 4,850
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Repo age4 years old
Last commitlast week
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageDart
Last synced 10 hours ago