3 open-source workspaces and docs you can use instead of Notion. Self-described alternatives are labelled separately from our own picks.
These projects describe themselves as an open-source alternative in their own README or GitHub description.
AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy
AI collaborative workspace for docs, wikis and project boards that you can self-host and keep data local.
Says it is an open-source alternative to Notion (from its README)
Install: Desktop/mobile apps at appflowy.com; self-host via AppFlowy-Cloud.
toeverything/AFFiNE
Local-first workspace combining docs, whiteboards and databases, with AI features; self-hostable.
Says it is an open-source alternative to Notion, Miro (from its README)
Install: Desktop apps at affine.pro; self-host docs available.
docmost/docmost
Open-source collaborative wiki and documentation tool with real-time editing.
Says it is an open-source alternative to Confluence, Notion (from its README)
Install: Docker compose install per docmost.com docs.
Stars, licences and last-commit dates come from the GitHub REST API, fetched 17 Oct 2026. Archived repos, repos with no commit in 12 months and non-open licences are excluded. Install commands are copied from each README.
Our picks: AppFlowy, AFFiNE, Docmost. Each one is open source; check the licence before commercial use.
AppFlowy, AFFiNE, Docmost describe themselves as an open-source alternative in their own README or repo description.
The software is free to use under its licence. You still pay for your own hosting and for any model API you connect, unless you run a local model.
Cursor · GitHub Copilot · Claude Code · Lovable, Bolt.new and v0 · ChatGPT · Perplexity · NotebookLM · Vercel, Netlify and Heroku