AFFiNE

AFFiNE is an open-source knowledge workspace built by Toeverything that combines structured documents, edgeless whiteboards, and databases into a single local-first platform. It positions itself as an alternative to Notion and Miro, with the core editor (BlockSuite) released under the MIT license and the full stack available for self-hosting. The project has accumulated over 69,000 GitHub stars and is actively maintained with regular releases.

What It Is

AFFiNE is a "hyper-fused" productivity platform where docs, canvas, and tables coexist in the same workspace rather than being siloed into separate tools. Users can place rich text, sticky notes, embedded web pages, multi-view databases, linked pages, shapes, and slides on an edgeless canvas — or work in a structured document mode. The platform is designed around a local-first philosophy: data lives on the user's device by default, with optional cloud sync and real-time collaboration layered on top.

Open-Source Architecture and Dual Licensing

AFFiNE uses a dual-license model that is important to understand:

• The editor (BlockSuite), desktop app, and most of the codebase are MIT-licensed and freely usable, modifiable, and distributable.
• The backend server (packages/backend) uses the AFFiNE Enterprise Edition (EE) license, which permits personal and development use but requires a paid subscription for production deployments with team seats.
• Three core open-source sub-projects underpin the platform: BlockSuite (the collaborative editor), OctoBase (a local-first Rust-based database), and y-octo (a high-performance CRDT engine).

This architecture means individuals and developers can self-host the full stack for free, while teams running production workloads at scale use the paid Self-Hosted Team tier.

Core Modes and Workflow

AFFiNE surfaces three primary interaction modes that can be used interchangeably within the same workspace:

• Docs — Block-based rich text editing for notes, wikis, and knowledge bases, with support for linked pages and embedded content.
• Edgeless — An infinite whiteboard canvas for visual brainstorming, mind mapping, and freehand drawing with no spatial constraints.
• Database / Plan — Kanban boards, table views, and structured data for project tracking and task management.

Templates are available for common use cases including digital planners, Cornell notes, storyboards, vision boards, and one-pagers.

AFFiNE AI Capabilities

AFFiNE AI is an optional add-on that integrates a multimodal AI copilot directly into the workspace. According to the product page, it can:

• Write and rewrite content, adjust tone, and fix grammar within documents.
• Generate visual mind maps from article summaries.
• Convert outlines into presentation slides (listed as Beta).
• Assist with planning, auto-sorting, and auto-tagging (auto-sorting and auto-tagging listed as coming soon).

The AI layer works across both the document and edgeless canvas modes, making it available regardless of which workflow a user is in.

Deployment Model

AFFiNE offers two deployment paths:

• AFFiNE Cloud — Hosted by Toeverything, with no technical setup required. Tiers range from a free personal plan to Pro and Team plans with increasing storage, member limits, and version history.
• Self-Hosted — Users run the full stack on their own infrastructure using Docker. The Self-Hosted Team tier adds priority support, multi-admin roles, and is designed for 10+ seat production deployments.

A one-time Believer Plan is also available for long-term supporters who want lifetime personal access with expanded cloud storage.

Update: v0.26.3

The latest published release is v0.26.3, published on February 25, 2026, according to the GitHub releases page. The repository's default branch is canary, reflecting an active, continuously-shipped development model. The GitHub repository was last pushed to on June 8, 2026, indicating ongoing active development. The project's issue tracker shows recent bug reports and feature requests being filed and addressed, consistent with a healthy open-source community.