AFFiNE
AFFiNE is an open-source workspace that brings your docs, whiteboards, and databases together in one place—think Notion meets Miro.
AFFiNE is an open-source workspace with a clear unique selling point: it brings documents, a free-form whiteboard, and databases together on a single canvas. While other tools force you to switch between Notion for writing and Miro for visualizing, here both happen in the same place.
In practical terms, this means you can type out a text and then click to move it onto an edgeless canvas, where you can sketch, arrange cards, or connect ideas right next to it. The content stays the same; only the view changes. Everything is local-first, so your data lives on your machine first.
The price for this versatility is a bit of clutter: AFFiNE tries to do a lot at once and feels a bit young in places, less polished than Notion. Compared to AppFlowy, its appeal clearly lies in the whiteboard features, and compared to pure note-taking tools like Logseq, it’s all about the visual workflow.
It’s a great fit for anyone who thinks through writing and drawing simultaneously and doesn't want to separate the two. If you’re looking for a calm, mature document tool, you’re better off with Notion or Outline.
Functions
- Combine Notion and Miro in one tool instead of two separate apps
- Switch between document and whiteboard views of the same content
- Local-first approach with full data control
- Active open-source project from Singapore
- Free, without the user limits of cloud providers
Core Functions
- Documents, whiteboard, and databases in one connected interface
- Edgeless canvas: arrange text and drawings freely on a single surface
- Local-first: your data lives on your device first
- Self-hostable or available as a cloud version
- Open source, built with Rust and TypeScript
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