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AppFlowy vs Notion

AppFlowy and Notion are both project management tools. AppFlowy is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Notion is aimed at small businesses and freelancers. Notion costs less, from $12/mo versus $16/mo for AppFlowy. Both have a free plan.

AppFlowy

Open-source workspace you can self-host

Notion

All-in-one workspace for notes, docs and projects

PricingOpen source · $16Freemium · $12
Starting price$16/mo$12/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forDevelopers, Small businessesSmall businesses, Freelancers, Enterprise
Platformsmacos, windows, linux, ios, androidweb, ios, android, macos, windows
CountrySG · 2021US · 2016
Rating——

Choose AppFlowy if

Teams wanting an open-source Notion.

  • Open source
  • Self-hostable
  • Fast native apps

Look elsewhere if: Teams needing Notion's ecosystem.

Choose Notion if

Startups and small teams (2–50 people) that want docs, wiki and simple project tracking in one place, and individuals who like building their own systems.

  • Replaces several tools (docs, wiki, light PM, CRM) for small teams
  • Extremely flexible data model; databases with relations and rollups
  • Huge template ecosystem and integrations via API and Zapier/Make

Look elsewhere if: Engineering teams that need a strict issue tracker with cycles and estimates, finance teams that live in spreadsheets, or organizations that need offline-first access.

AppFlowy vs Notion pricing

AppFlowy

  • Personal$01 workspace owner, 100 MB storage, 7-day version history
  • Pro$16/user/mo$12/mo billed annually; unlimited members, storage, forms
  • Self-hosted$0AGPL-3.0 code, self-host with Docker

Notion

  • Free$07-day page history, 10 guests, limited Notion AI trial
  • Plus$12/member/mo$10/mo billed yearly; 30-day history, unlimited guests
  • Business$24/member/mo$20/mo billed yearly; 90-day history, Notion Agent, AI notes
  • EnterpriseCustomUnlimited history, zero data retention with LLM providers

AppFlowy · Key features

  • Docs and databases
  • Kanban and grid
  • AI assistant
  • Offline mode
  • Self-hosting
  • Templates

Cons

  • Fewer features than Notion
  • Smaller ecosystem
  • Collaboration maturing

Notion · Key features

  • Block-based editor with slash commands, synced blocks and 50+ content types
  • Relational databases with table, board, calendar, gallery, timeline and list views
  • Templates, buttons and database automations for repeatable workflows
  • Notion AI: Q&A across workspace plus Slack, Drive and GitHub connectors
  • Public publishing with custom domains (Notion Sites) and SEO settings
  • Granular sharing: teamspaces, guests, page-level permissions and SSO on Business

Cons

  • No native structure means workspaces sprawl without governance
  • Slower on large databases; offline mode is limited
  • Per-seat pricing adds up for large teams, AI bundled only in Business and up

AppFlowy vs Notion: FAQ

Which is cheaper, AppFlowy or Notion?

Notion starts at $12/mo and AppFlowy at $16/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do AppFlowy and Notion have a free plan?

Yes, both AppFlowy and Notion have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?

AppFlowy vs Notion (2026): Pricing and Features