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Best Open-Source Notion Alternatives (2026)

28 self-hostable, open-source projects that replace Notion — without per-seat pricing that climbs fast for teams. Each is scored for how hard it is to self-host, with one-click deploy options where they exist.

Notion's per-seat pricing scales painfully once a team grows past a handful of people, and everything you write lives on their servers in a proprietary format you can't easily extract. Teams with compliance, data-residency, or just budget constraints want their docs and databases on infrastructure they control.

Our picks at a glance

Easiest to self-host
SiYuan

Difficulty 2/5 with both Docker and manual deploy, the lowest-friction option that still covers block-level docs and databases.

Most powerful
AFFiNE

Combines docs, whiteboards, and databases in one local-first workspace, the closest single tool to Notion's all-in-one feature set.

Most active
AppFlowy

Highest momentum in the list at ~63k stars, an actively developed Notion clone on a Rust core.

Best managed option
Outline

Offers official managed hosting and is purpose-built as a fast, collaborative team wiki, the cleanest path if you don't want to self-host.

Compare all 28 alternatives

ProjectDeployManagedLicense
AppFlowy
Sponsored
Dart
73k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Stirling-PDF
Docker
81k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
Apache-2.02 days agoRepo
AFFiNE
TypeScript
70k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
MIT2 days agoRepo
Memos
Go
61k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
MIT5 days agoRepo
SiYuan
TypeScript
44k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Logseq
Clojure
43k ★
4/5
Involved
Manual
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Paperless-ngx
Python
42k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
GPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Outline
TypeScript
39k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
BSL-1.12 days agoRepo
Trilium Notes
TypeScript
36k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Wiki.js
JavaScript
28k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.06 days agoRepo
Docmost
TypeScript
21k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
BookStack
PHP
19k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
MIT2 days agoRepo
Overleaf
Ruby
18k ★
4/5
Involved
Docker
Docker Compose
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Docuseal
Docker
17k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.05 days agoRepo
Docs
K8S
17k ★
4/5
Involved
Kubernetes
Docker Compose
+1
MIT3 days agoRepo
Gollum
Ruby
14k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
MIT6 months agoRepo
BentoPDF
Nodejs
14k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Documenso
Nodejs
13k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo
Gotenberg
Docker
12k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
MIT4 days agoRepo
Blinko
Docker
11k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
AGPL-3.04 days agoRepo
TiddlyWiki
Nodejs
8.6k ★
2/5
Easy
Manual
Docker
BSD-3-Clause11 days agoRepo
HedgeDoc
Docker
7.3k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
OpenSign
Nodejs
6.5k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
draw.io
Javascript
6.2k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
Apache-2.03 days agoRepo
Livebook
Elixir
5.8k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
Apache-2.03 days agoRepo
SilverBullet
Docker
5.5k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
MIT4 days agoRepo
Colanode
K8S
4.9k ★
4/5
Involved
Docker
Docker Compose
+2
Apache-2.02 months agoRepo
Papra
Docker
4.8k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.02 days agoRepo

What to look for: Decide first whether you need the full docs-plus-databases-plus-wiki combo or just a clean team wiki, because that splits the field sharply. Also weigh real-time collaboration and a usable web editor against deployment simplicity, since the most Notion-like options (AppFlowy, AFFiNE) are heavier to run than a plain wiki like BookStack or Wiki.js.

Head-to-head:AppFlowy vs NotionStirling-PDF vs NotionAFFiNE vs NotionMemos vs NotionSiYuan vs Notion

The alternatives, reviewed

  1. #1
    AppFlowy
    Sponsored
    Self-host: Moderate

    Open-source Notion alternative built on Flutter and Rust

    73k Dart AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Self-hosted AppFlowy Cloud setup is involved and less polished than the local desktop app.
    • Fewer database view types and formula capabilities than Notion.
    • Limited third-party integrations and public API.
    • Real-time multiplayer collaboration is newer and less battle-tested.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  2. #2
    Stirling-PDF
    Self-host: Easy

    Locally hosted web app for merging, splitting, converting, and OCR-ing PDFs

    81k Docker Apache-2.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Not a document-management or collaboration tool — purely a PDF processing utility.
    • Advanced features like user auth and SSO require the paid Stirling-PDF Pro license.
    • No document storage or versioning; files must be uploaded and downloaded manually each session.
    • OCR accuracy depends on Tesseract language packs installed in the container.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  3. #3
    AFFiNE
    Self-host: Moderate

    Privacy-first, local-first workspace combining docs, whiteboards, and databases

    70k TypeScript MIT 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Self-hosted real-time sync (AFFiNE Cloud) has historically lagged the desktop/local experience and can be fiddly to configure.
    • Smaller third-party integration and plugin ecosystem than Notion.
    • Mobile apps are less mature than the desktop client.
    • Some advanced AI and collaboration features are gated to the paid cloud tier.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  4. #4
    Memos
    Self-host: Easy

    Lightweight, self-hosted note-taking and memo hub

    61k Go MIT 5 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Designed for short notes/memos, not long structured documents or wikis.
    • No nested page hierarchy, databases, or board views.
    • No real-time collaboration.
    • Limited rich formatting compared to block editors.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  5. #5
    SiYuan
    Self-host: Easy

    Privacy-first personal knowledge management with block-level editing

    44k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Primarily single-user; no real-time team collaboration.
    • Official cloud sync and some features require a paid subscription.
    • Documentation and UI are translated from Chinese and can be uneven.
    • Smaller English-language community and plugin ecosystem.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  6. #6
    Logseq
    Self-host: Involved

    Privacy-first, local-first outliner for networked notes

    43k Clojure AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Primarily a local desktop app; there is no official self-hosted web server, only file sync via Git/cloud storage.
    • Official sync service is paid and separate from the open-source core.
    • The database-backed rewrite has had a long, disruptive transition.
    • Mobile apps are less polished and sync can be tricky.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  7. #7
    Paperless-ngx
    Self-host: Moderate

    Scan, index, and archive paper documents with full-text search and AI tagging

    42k Python GPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Primarily a document archive, not a note-taking or collaboration tool.
    • Mobile scanning requires a third-party app (e.g., Scanbot) pointing at the consume folder.
    • No real-time collaboration or shared editing of documents.
    • Initial OCR processing of large backlogs can be slow and CPU-intensive.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  8. #8
    Outline
    Self-host: Moderate

    Fast, collaborative team knowledge base and wiki

    39k TypeScript BSL-1.1 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Requires an external SSO/OAuth provider for authentication, adding setup friction.
    • No database/table views or relational data like Notion.
    • Licensed under BSL (not fully open source / has usage restrictions).
    • Fewer block types and no whiteboard/canvas features.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  9. #9
    Trilium Notes
    Self-host: Easy

    Hierarchical note-taking app for building personal knowledge bases

    36k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Single-user oriented; no real-time multi-user collaboration.
    • UI is dense and has a steep learning curve.
    • No relational database/board views like Notion.
    • Original Trilium is archived; users must migrate to the community TriliumNext fork.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  10. #10
    Wiki.js
    Self-host: Moderate

    Modern, powerful, self-hosted wiki built on Node.js

    28k JavaScript AGPL-3.0 6 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No real-time collaborative editing.
    • No database/table views or relational content.
    • The long-awaited 3.x rewrite has been slow and partly unstable.
    • Requires a separate database (Postgres/MySQL) to be configured.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  11. #11
    Docmost
    Self-host: Moderate

    Open-source collaborative wiki and documentation software

    21k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Younger project with a smaller feature set than Confluence.
    • No database/table views or relational content like Notion.
    • Some enterprise features (SSO/SAML) are gated to a paid edition.
    • Smaller integration and extension ecosystem.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  12. #12
    BookStack
    Self-host: Moderate

    Simple, self-hosted documentation and wiki platform

    19k PHP MIT 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Fixed Books/Chapters/Pages hierarchy is rigid versus Notion's free-form structure.
    • No real-time collaborative editing.
    • No database/table views or relational content.
    • Plugin/extension ecosystem is minimal.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  13. #13
    Overleaf
    Self-host: Involved

    Self-hosted collaborative LaTeX editor for academic writing and publishing

    18k Ruby AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Track changes and full Git integration are cloud-only (paid) features not available in the Community Edition.
    • No built-in reference manager; requires manual BibTeX or integration with Zotero/Mendeley.
    • Admin panel is minimal; user and quota management requires direct database access.
    • Requires a non-trivial server (2+ CPU, 4 GB RAM) for a comfortable multi-user compile experience.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  14. #14
    Docuseal
    Self-host: Easy

    Self-hosted digital document signing platform — open-source DocuSign alternative

    17k Docker AGPL-3.0 5 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Advanced workflow automations (conditional fields, branching) are limited compared to DocuSign.
    • No built-in identity verification (ID check, knowledge-based auth) for high-assurance signing.
    • Bulk-send to large lists and advanced reporting are cloud-plan features only.
    • Audit trail is basic; lacks the legally certified audit certificates that DocuSign provides.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  15. #15
    Docs
    Self-host: Involved

    Scalable collaborative wiki and documentation platform by La Suite Numérique

    17k K8S MIT 3 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Relatively young project; ecosystem of integrations (plugins, API clients) is still maturing.
    • Database and storage setup requires external PostgreSQL and object-storage configuration.
    • No native mobile app; browser-only.
    • Feature parity with Notion (databases, kanban, formulas) is not yet reached.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  16. #16
    Gollum
    Self-host: Easy

    Simple Git-backed wiki with Markdown support and a local web frontend

    14k Ruby MIT 6 months ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No real-time collaboration; concurrent edits require Git merge conflict resolution.
    • Access control is all-or-nothing unless fronted by a reverse proxy with auth.
    • No rich media embeds, databases, or kanban views that modern note tools offer.
    • Search is basic file-content grep; no full-text index for large wikis.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  17. #17
    BentoPDF
    Self-host: Easy

    Privacy-first client-side PDF toolkit — edit, merge, and process in the browser

    14k Nodejs AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Client-side WASM processing is slower than server-side tools for very large PDFs.
    • No OCR or text extraction capabilities.
    • No user accounts, history, or saved workflows between sessions.
    • Feature set is narrower than server-side tools like Stirling-PDF for batch or automated use.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  18. #18
    Documenso
    Self-host: Moderate

    Open-source digital document signing platform — self-hosted DocuSign alternative

    13k Nodejs AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No built-in identity verification (KBA, ID scan) for high-assurance regulated industries.
    • API and webhook support is still maturing compared to DocuSign's enterprise integrations.
    • Bulk send and advanced reporting are limited in the self-hosted Community edition.
    • Mobile signing experience is browser-only; no dedicated native app.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  19. #19
    Gotenberg
    Self-host: Easy

    Developer API to convert HTML, Markdown, Word, and Excel files into PDFs

    12k Docker MIT 4 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Conversion-only API; no storage, user interface, or document management.
    • Complex CSS layouts and JavaScript-heavy pages may render inconsistently with headless Chromium.
    • LibreOffice fidelity for intricate Word/Excel formatting can differ from native Office rendering.
    • No built-in rate limiting or authentication — must be secured at the reverse proxy level.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  20. #20
    Blinko
    Self-host: Easy

    AI-powered personal note-taking tool with fast capture and semantic search

    11k Docker AGPL-3.0 4 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • AI features require a separately configured LLM API key; no bundled model.
    • No real-time collaboration or multi-user workspace sharing.
    • Limited rich content types — no databases, kanban boards, or spreadsheet views.
    • Mobile experience is a PWA only; no native iOS or Android app.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  21. #21
    TiddlyWiki
    Self-host: Easy

    Reusable non-linear personal web notebook for capturing and organizing ideas

    8.6k Nodejs BSD-3-Clause 11 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No built-in real-time collaboration; multi-user editing requires workarounds
    • UI feels dated compared to modern tools like Notion; steeper learning curve for non-technical users
    • Mobile editing experience is limited and not optimized
    • No built-in database views (kanban, gallery, table) found in Notion
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  22. #22
    HedgeDoc
    Self-host: Moderate

    Realtime collaborative Markdown editor and notes platform for teams

    7.3k Docker AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Limited to Markdown; no rich block-based editing (tables, databases) like Notion
    • No built-in task management, kanban boards, or project organization features
    • Lacks a hierarchical page tree or wiki-style organization found in Confluence
    • No native mobile apps; browser-only experience on mobile
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  23. #23
    OpenSign
    Self-host: Moderate

    Open-source document e-signing platform, a self-hosted DocuSign alternative

    6.5k Nodejs AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Advanced workflow automation and conditional routing (found in DocuSign) is limited
    • No built-in bulk-send or template library as comprehensive as DocuSign's
    • In-person signing kiosk mode is absent
    • Integrations ecosystem (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) is much smaller than DocuSign
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  24. #24
    draw.io
    Self-host: Easy

    Powerful open-source diagramming tool for flowcharts, UML, ER, and network diagrams

    6.2k Javascript Apache-2.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No real-time multi-cursor collaboration in the self-hosted version (available only on draw.io cloud)
    • Version history and branching are not built-in; rely on external storage integration
    • Limited commenting and review workflow compared to Lucidchart or Miro
    • No presentation mode or interactive slideshow features
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  25. #25
    Livebook
    Self-host: Easy

    Collaborative Elixir notebooks with live code execution, Mermaid diagrams, and TeX

    5.8k Elixir Apache-2.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Exclusively supports Elixir; no Python, R, or Julia kernels unlike Jupyter
    • Not a general-purpose note-taking tool — unsuitable as a Notion replacement for non-developers
    • No persistent database-style pages, kanban boards, or project management views
    • Community plugin ecosystem is smaller than Jupyter's
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  26. #26
    SilverBullet
    Self-host: Easy

    Extensible hacker-friendly Markdown knowledge base with offline-first sync

    5.5k Docker MIT 4 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No native mobile apps; mobile use relies on the web interface
    • Real-time multi-user collaboration is limited compared to cloud-first tools
    • Plugin ecosystem is much smaller than Obsidian's community plugin library
    • No built-in rich media embedding or database views comparable to Notion
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  27. #27
    Colanode
    Self-host: Involved

    Offline-first team collaboration suite combining chat, rich pages, files, and databases

    4.9k K8S Apache-2.0 2 months ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • Project is relatively young; some enterprise features (SSO, audit logs) are incomplete
    • No mobile apps yet; desktop-only client availability limits on-the-go access
    • Smaller plugin/integration ecosystem than Notion or Slack
    • Documentation and community support are still maturing
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  28. #28
    Papra
    Self-host: Easy

    Minimalist document archiving and management platform, simple and accessible

    4.8k Docker AGPL-3.0 2 days ago
    How it compares to Notion
    • No OCR or full-text search within scanned PDFs out of the box
    • Lacks workflow automation, approval chains, or document versioning found in Confluence
    • No collaborative editing or commenting on documents
    • Limited role/permission system; not suited for large enterprise teams
    RepoDetails & deploy →

The verdict

For a Notion-style all-in-one workspace, AppFlowy and AFFiNE are the closest matches and both offer managed hosting if you don't want to run them yourself; if you mainly need a fast team wiki, Outline is the more focused, lower-maintenance pick.

Still deciding? Compare AppFlowy vs Stirling-PDF side by side →

Notion alternatives — frequently asked questions

Is there a free open-source Notion alternative I can self-host?

Yes. AppFlowy, AFFiNE, SiYuan, Docmost, and Outline are all open-source and self-hostable. AppFlowy and AFFiNE are the closest to Notion's docs-plus-databases model, while Outline and Docmost lean toward team wikis.

Which Notion alternative is easiest to self-host?

SiYuan and Memos are the lowest-difficulty options here (2/5). SiYuan gives you block-level docs and databases via Docker or a manual install; Memos is even simpler but is a lightweight memo tool, not a full Notion replacement.

Which option is closest to Notion's databases and all-in-one feel?

AFFiNE, which bundles docs, whiteboards, and databases into one workspace, and AppFlowy, which is explicitly built as a Notion alternative on Flutter and Rust. Both offer managed hosting and run via Docker.

I just want a team wiki, not all the database features. What should I use?

Outline (managed hosting available, BSL-1.1) and Docmost (AGPL-3.0) are collaborative wikis. Wiki.js and BookStack are simpler, more traditional self-hosted wikis if you don't need real-time editing.

Are there managed-hosting options so I don't have to run servers?

Yes. AppFlowy, AFFiNE, SiYuan, Outline, and Docmost all offer an official managed/hosted option, so you can start without standing up your own infrastructure.

What's the catch with Outline's license?

Outline uses BSL-1.1, a source-available license rather than a classic OSI-approved open-source one. For most internal self-hosting it's fine, but if you need strict open-source licensing, AppFlowy, AFFiNE, or Docmost (AGPL/MIT) are cleaner.

Keep exploring

All Notes & Knowledge Base →Self-hosted directory →Easiest to self-host →
Confluence alternativesEvernote alternativesObsidian alternatives