Alternatives to Notion
6 self-hosted alternatives — 1 easy, 5 medium
Why people look for alternatives
- All data stored on Notion servers
- No offline-first mode
- Can be slow with large workspaces
- Export options lose formatting and links
| App | Difficulty | Min RAM | Docker | Mobile | Active | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFFiNE Open-source alternative to Notion and Miro combining docs, whiteboards, and databases. | medium | 1 GB | iOS & Android | Yes | ||
| AppFlowy Open-source Notion alternative for project and knowledge management. | medium | 1 GB | iOS & Android | Yes | ||
| BookStack Simple wiki and documentation platform with a WYSIWYG editor. | easy | 0.5 GB | — | Yes | ||
| CryptPad End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. | medium | 1 GB | — | Yes | ||
| Outline Beautiful team wiki and knowledge base with real-time collaboration and Slack-like search. | medium | 1 GB | — | Yes | ||
| Wiki.js Powerful wiki engine with Git-backed storage and multiple editors. | medium | 1 GB | — | Yes |
Open-source alternative to Notion and Miro combining docs, whiteboards, and databases.
Pros
- + Combines docs and whiteboards
- + Clean modern interface
- + Local-first architecture
- + Active development with fast iteration
Cons
- - Self-hosted version is less mature
- - Still missing features vs Notion
- - Can be resource heavy
- - Plugin ecosystem is young
Open-source Notion alternative for project and knowledge management.
Pros
- + Clean Notion-like interface
- + Written in Rust and Flutter for performance
- + Self-hosted cloud option
- + Active development with fast iteration
Cons
- - Still maturing with missing features
- - Self-hosted setup is newer and less documented
- - Plugin ecosystem is young
- - Mobile apps still catching up
Simple wiki and documentation platform with a WYSIWYG editor.
Pros
- + Very intuitive interface
- + Good permission system
- + WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- + Easy to set up
Cons
- - No real-time collaboration
- - Not designed for personal notes
- - Limited mobile experience
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more.
Pros
- + End-to-end encrypted by design
- + No account required for basic use
- + Multiple app types built in
- + Strong privacy focus
Cons
- - Performance is slower than unencrypted alternatives
- - Limited formatting compared to Google Docs
- - Search is limited due to encryption
- - Smaller community
Beautiful team wiki and knowledge base with real-time collaboration and Slack-like search.
Pros
- + Beautiful clean interface
- + Real-time collaboration
- + Excellent search
- + Slack and other integrations
Cons
- - Requires external auth provider like Google or Slack
- - PostgreSQL and Redis dependencies
- - BSL license is not truly open source
- - No offline mode
Powerful wiki engine with Git-backed storage and multiple editors.
Pros
- + Beautiful modern UI
- + Git-backed storage
- + Multiple authentication methods
- + Good search
Cons
- - v3 has been in development for years
- - Single maintainer
- - Some features incomplete