AppFlowy

AppFlowy is the open source Notion alternative that actually respects local-first. Your data lives on your device, syncs optionally, and you can self-host the backend. Built in Rust and Flutter, it's genuinely cross-platform and offline-capable.

Notion is the feature-complete commercial standard but holds your data hostage. Obsidian is the power-user knowledge base — Markdown files, plugin ecosystem, but no database views. AnyType is another local-first option with a smaller community.

If you want Notion's docs-plus-databases workflow without sending everything to someone else's servers, AppFlowy is the closest you'll get. The desktop experience is solid and improving fast. AGPL licensed, so self-hosting is encouraged.

The catch: the mobile app is noticeably behind Notion's polish. Third-party integrations are limited — no Zapier, no Slack, no calendar sync. AI features are on the roadmap but not production-ready. And AGPL means if you build a hosted service on AppFlowy, you're open-sourcing your modifications.