The Curious AI Guy

Library / Productivity

AFFiNE

Docs, whiteboard and databases in one place.

Replaces
LicenseMIT (backend under a separate license)
GitHub stars73.4k
Last code update12 October 2026
SetupBeginner about 5 minOur estimate
Paid version costs about$12/moNotion Plus per member, monthly billing
Per year~$144

New to this? What open source means and how to read this page.

What it is

A workspace that combines documents, an infinite whiteboard and databases, with local-first storage.

Good for

People who want notes and visual boards in the same app.

The catch

Parts of the code, including the backend, sit under a separate license, so it is not all MIT. It is moving fast, which means change and the occasional rough edge.

AFFiNE versus

AFFiNE
PriceFreeca. $12/moNotion Plus per member, monthly billing
LicenseMIT (backend under a separate license)Commercial license
Source codePartly public, partly under a different licenseNot public
SetupBeginner, about 5 minSign up and pay
Where it runsOn your own computerThe vendor's app or service, under their terms

The paid product's own plans and terms change. Check its site before you decide.

Install it with an AI assistant

Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant that can work on your computer (Claude Code or Claude Desktop, for example). It is written from the project's official repository and tells the assistant to show you every command first. Setup time is our estimate: about 5 min.

I want to install and try AFFiNE on my own computer.

Official repository: https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE
Official site: https://affine.pro
License: MIT (backend under a separate license)

Before you do anything:
1. Read the README and install notes in the official repository above, and nothing else. Do not follow third-party tutorials or mirrors.
2. Tell me in plain words what will be installed, what it needs (operating system, memory, graphics card, disk space, accounts) and what it will cost me, if anything.
3. Check my computer against those needs and tell me honestly if it will not work well.

Install it as a regular desktop app: download the latest release for my operating system from the official releases page or the official site, install it, and open it with me.

Rules:
- Show me each command before you run it, and say what it does.
- Ask before anything that deletes files, changes system settings, opens a network port or needs an administrator password.
- Never put my passwords or keys on a command line, or in a file I did not choose.
- When it is installed, help me check it with one small test, and tell me how to start and stop it.
- If something goes wrong, explain it in plain words and do not guess your way around it.

Good to know before you start: Parts of the code, including the backend, sit under a separate license, so it is not all MIT. It is moving fast, which means change and the occasional rough edge.

We have not run this prompt ourselves yet. Read what the assistant plans to do before you say yes.

Facts checked on 12 October 2026. We have not yet run a hands-on test of this tool. When we do, it gets a "Tested" mark here. Approximate US list prices for an individual plan, from third-party price trackers checked on 12 Oct 2026. Monthly billing where it exists. Regions, taxes and promotions change them. Confirm at the vendor before you decide.

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