AppFlowy vs Microsoft OneNote
AppFlowy and Microsoft OneNote are both note-taking & docs tools. AppFlowy is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Microsoft OneNote is aimed at freelancers and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
Open-source workspace you can self-host
Free freeform digital notebook from Microsoft with ink and sync
| Pricing | Open source · $16 | Free |
| Starting price | $16/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Freelancers, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | macos, windows, linux, ios, android | web, windows, macos, ios, android |
| Country | SG · 2021 | US · 2003 |
| 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 Microsoft OneNote if
Students, teachers and Microsoft 365 users who want a free, pen-friendly notebook that syncs across every device.
- Completely free on every major platform with no note limits
- Best-in-class pen experience for students and tablet users
- Freeform canvas suits mixed media better than linear note apps
Look elsewhere if: Knowledge workers who need databases, linked notes or plain-file ownership (Notion, Obsidian or Evernote suit them better).
AppFlowy vs Microsoft OneNote 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
Microsoft OneNote
- OneNote$0Free with a Microsoft account; notebooks sync via 5 GB OneDrive
- Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99/mo$99.99/year; 1 TB OneDrive and Copilot in OneNote
- Microsoft 365 Family$12.99/mo$129.99/year; up to 6 people, 2 TB shared storage
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
Microsoft OneNote · Key features
- Freeform pages where text, images, ink and files can be placed anywhere
- Notebook, section and page hierarchy with color-coded tabs
- Pen and stylus inking with handwriting search and ink-to-text
- Text extraction from images and printouts inserted into notes
- Audio recording linked to notes and tags such as To Do and Important
- OneNote Web Clipper for saving web pages into a notebook
Cons
- Storage is capped by OneDrive, only 5 GB on free accounts
- No databases, Markdown or bidirectional links
- Weak export makes migrating to another app painful
AppFlowy vs Microsoft OneNote: FAQ
Do AppFlowy and Microsoft OneNote have a free plan?
Yes, both AppFlowy and Microsoft OneNote have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.