AppFlowy
AppFlowy is an AI-powered workspace, prioritizing privacy and user control over data. This workspace tool offers cross-platform functionali...
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What is AppFlowy?
AppFlowy is an open-source, AI-powered collaborative workspace designed as a privacy-first alternative to Notion. It serves as a centralized place for tasks, notes, docs, and projects, allowing users to organize and visualize data in tables, Kanban boards, calendars, grids, and more. Built with Flutter and Rust, it offers native performance across desktop and mobile platforms with 100% offline support.
Key features include customizable databases with multiple views (Grid, Kanban Board, Calendar, List, Gallery, Feed, Chart), 20+ content block types (to-dos, images, files, code blocks, math equations), real-time collaboration, intelligent search, and integrated AI capabilities. The AI features support GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet, with options to run local AI models like Mistral 7B and Llama 3 on-device for ultimate privacy.
AppFlowy is ideal for individuals, small teams, startups, marketing teams planning campaigns, and software development teams practicing agile methodologies. It's particularly suited for privacy-conscious users, developers who want data ownership, teams needing self-hosting options, and anyone looking for a Notion alternative without vendor lock-in. The platform supports up to 50 workspace members and 100 guest editors on paid plans.
The workspace emphasizes data ownership with self-hosting capabilities, allowing users to keep data under their control with no vendor lock-in. Users can customize themes, fonts, page styles, properties, and namespaces. The community-driven development includes over 10K community members from 215 countries with 400 contributors building plugins and templates.
AppFlowy pricing
Pricing model: Free
Free Plan: Free forever for individuals and small groups. Includes 1 collaborative workspace up to 2 members, unlimited pages & blocks, 5 GB storage, intelligent search, 10 AI responses, 2 AI images per month, mobile app, and real-time collaboration. Pro Plan: $10 per user per month (US$12.50) billed annually ($120 per year per user). For small teams managing projects and knowledge. Includes everything in Free plus unlimited storage, up to 50 workspace members, up to 100 guest editors (free of charge), unlimited AI responses, 50 AI images per month, unlimited file uploads, and custom namespace. AppFlowy AI MAX: $8 per user per month billed monthly. Access to most advanced AI models including GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet. Includes unlimited AI responses, unlimited file uploads, and 50 AI images per month. Vault Workspace: $6 per user per month billed annually. Private and offline workspace where AI runs locally with no data transfer. Includes local AI on your own hardware, unlimited AI responses, and unlimited file size for AI Chat. Each workspace is tied to a specific plan. You can have multiple Free and Pro workspaces simultaneously. Pro workspaces are charged per member.
AppFlowy pros
- Open-source with AGPL license for full transparency
- 100% offline mode works without internet connection
- Self-hosting option with no vendor lock-in
- Complete data ownership and privacy control
- Runs local AI models (Mistral 7B, Llama 3) on-device
- Unlimited pages and blocks on free plan
- Multiple database views: Grid, Kanban, Calendar, Gallery, List, Feed, Chart
- Real-time collaboration with up to 50 members on Pro
- Up to 100 guest editors available on Pro plan
- Built with Flutter and Rust for lightning-fast native performance
- Cross-platform support: desktop, mobile, and web
- 20+ content block types including code blocks and math equations
- Customizable themes, fonts, and page styles
- Intelligent search across all content
- Generous free tier with 5 GB storage and 10 AI responses
- Supports importing from Notion and Markdown
- Active community with 400+ contributors
- Custom namespace organization for better structure
AppFlowy cons
- Mobile app has bugs including black screen freezes on deletion
- Syncing inconsistencies between desktop and mobile devices
- Self-hosting setup is technical and complex for non-developers
- Smaller community means fewer templates and third-party integrations than Notion
- Free plan limited to 2 members per workspace
- Only 10 AI responses and 2 AI images on free tier
- Calendar view database creation not available on web version yet
- No right-to-left (RTL) text direction support on Android
- Linking pages and elements is limited compared to Notion
- Collaboration tools are basic and still developing
- Markdown support isn't perfect and links don't auto-convert
- Font clarity and contrast issues reported by some users
- AI features restricted to paid plans even with own API key
- Member restrictions apply even on self-hosted free plan
- No PDF export option on mobile
Frequently asked questions about AppFlowy
What is AppFlowy?
AppFlowy is the leading open-source alternative to Notion and an AI collaborative workspace where you can bring projects, wikis, and teams together. It's a privacy-first platform where you are in charge of your data and customizations, with no vendor lock-in. Built with Flutter and Rust, it offers native performance across all devices with 100% offline support and self-hosting capabilities.
Is AppFlowy really open-source?
Yes, AppFlowy is 100% open-source licensed under AGPL. The code is transparent and community-driven with over 400 contributors. You can modify anything, design AppFlowy your way, and build custom plugins and templates. The open-source nature allows you to self-host wherever you want without vendor lock-in.
How does AppFlowy AI work?
AppFlowy AI is your go-to teammate that asks questions about your content and gets answers in seconds. It supports advanced AI models like GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet. You can choose cloud AI or run local AI models (Mistral 7B, Llama 3) on your machine for ultimate privacy. AI features include brainstorming ideas, generating first drafts, summarizing contents, auto-filling columns, getting instant answers, writing better, checking spelling/grammar, translating, and extracting keywords.
Can I use AppFlowy completely offline?
Yes, AppFlowy offers 100% offline mode. You can work anytime, anywhere without internet connection. All data is stored locally by default. You remain local and can sync as required when you have internet. One account works on any device. For synchronization across multiple devices, especially mobile, you need to login with an email account.
How do I self-host AppFlowy?
To self-host AppFlowy, download the latest release package from AppFlowy Releases, launch the application, and go to Settings > Cloud Setting. Choose AppFlowy Cloud as your cloud provider and enter your server address, then restart to apply changes. You can also install AppFlowy via Docker on VPS. For collaboration functionality, you can either self-host AppFlowy Cloud or use their server. Note that member restrictions may apply to free plan even on self-hosted setups.
What database views does AppFlowy support?
AppFlowy supports multiple database views including Grid (table-view), Board (Kanban), Calendar, List, Gallery, Feed, and Chart. Each database can be customized with multiple field types like text, date, and single-selection tags. The Kanban board groups entries into columns according to status tags and allows dragging cards between columns. Calendar view supports date ranges with start and end times to specify event duration.
How is pricing calculated for paid plans?
Each workspace is tied to a specific plan. You can have two Pro workspaces and three Free workspaces simultaneously. Each Pro workspace is charged per member. A Pro workspace with only you costs $12.50 per month ($120 per year). A Pro workspace with five members costs $12.50 × 5 = $62.50 per month or $120 × 5 = $600 per year. Guest editors available in Pro are free of charge. Adding members charges a prorated amount based on billing cycle remaining.
How do I cancel my paid plan?
Your AppFlowy subscription automatically renews until you cancel. To cancel, go to Settings in the left-hand sidebar on desktop, select Billing, then Change plan, and click Downgrade under the Free plan column. After cancellation, your workspace immediately moves to the Free plan, and any usage above free limits may be restricted. You can change your payment method anytime in billing settings.
What content blocks does AppFlowy support?
AppFlowy supports 20+ content block types including text, headings, lists, to-do items, tables, grids, images, files, code blocks, and math equations. Just press to bring up block options. The block-based format works just like Notion. You can create beautiful, organized documents with all these content types. On mobile, you can use the + menu to add content blocks, and typing / or @ now works to add blocks or mention users.
Who is AppFlowy built for?
AppFlowy is built for privacy-conscious individuals and teams who value data ownership. It's ideal for startups disrupting the market, marketing teams planning campaigns, software development teams practicing agile methodologies, students, and anyone needing a centralized place for tasks, notes, docs, and projects. With over 10K community members from 215 countries and 400 contributors, it's built by the community for the community. The platform adapts to various needs from project planning and task management to meeting organization, goal setting, agile sprints, and document collaboration.