AFFiNE
Notion- and Miro-style workspace (docs, whiteboards, databases) with built-in AI, self-hostable with Docker.
Quick answer
AFFiNE is a notion- and Miro-style workspace (docs, whiteboards, databases) with built-in AI, self-hostable with Docker, listed under Knowledge base & RAG. A typical small-business use: replace Notion or Miro for a small team's wiki, meeting notes and planning boards on your own server. Official hardware: recommended 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM (no separate minimum published). That fits a Hetzner Cloud CPX32 server at about €35.99/month (server only, excl. VAT). License: MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code, which allows internal business use.
Last updated · facts verified against official docs on · sources
Activity data comes from GitHub and was last refreshed Oct 29, 2026.
What is AFFiNE?
AFFiNE combines documents, an edgeless whiteboard and database views in one local-first workspace with real-time collaboration. The self-hosted server runs with Docker Compose (AFFiNE, PostgreSQL with pgvector, Redis) and connects to the web, desktop and mobile apps. Its AI features (writing, chat, actions, image generation) work in self-hosted mode through bring-your-own provider keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or FAL.
Where it fits in a 10–200 person business
- Replace Notion or Miro for a small team's wiki, meeting notes and planning boards on your own server
- Keep internal docs and whiteboards off third-party clouds while still using AI writing help with your own API key
- Run a team workspace on an intranet with the desktop apps pointed at your server
These use cases are our editorial suggestions, not claims made by the project.
Can a business use AFFiNE? (license)
| License | MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code |
|---|---|
| Type | Open core: Core is MIT/Apache; enterprise folders need a paid license. |
| Internal business use | Allowed under the license text |
| What to watch | The README says the Community Edition is free to self-host under the MIT license. The server code under packages/backend carries an AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license that applies to parts not distributed as Community Edition. Self-hosted workspaces get up to 10 seats; more seats need a paid Team Plan or Installable License. |
This is a plain-English summary of the license text, not legal advice. Third-party models you run with it have their own licenses.
Data & compliance: does AFFiNE phone home?
| Telemetry (usage data sent to the vendor) | Not documented |
|---|---|
| Other calls home by default (updates, marketplaces, default cloud services) | Not documented The paid Team Plan checks license keys against app.affine.pro; the docs do not say what a free install contacts. |
| Single sign-on (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Free with limits By protocol: OIDC free. Google, GitHub and generic OIDC login are configured in the self-hosted admin panel; the README lists SSO among planned Enterprise Edition features. Source: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/administer/oauth-2-0 · github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/blob/canary/README.md |
| Audit log | Not documented The README lists "advanced admin and audit" as planned Enterprise Edition features, not yet published. |
| Role-based access control (RBAC) | Not documented |
| Data residency / GDPR notes from the project | Not documented |
Checked against the project's own docs and repository on . "Not documented" means we could not find the answer in official sources; it does not mean the feature is missing or that no data is sent. Third-party services you connect (model APIs, vector databases, search engines) have their own data policies. Compare all apps.
What hardware does AFFiNE need?
| Minimum | Not published |
|---|---|
| Recommended | 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM |
Official recommendation: at least 4 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM for basic usage, 4 GB RAM if docs exceed 10k words; the server itself needs about 1.5 GB of disk, plus roughly 100 MB of Postgres per 1k docs and 10 GB of blob storage per 1k blobs; merging a doc with 10k modifications can peak at about 1 GB of memory. Built-in Prometheus monitoring uses about 200 MB.
Source: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/requirements
How much does it cost to host AFFiNE per month?
| Recommended spec | 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM → CPX32 (4 vCPU, 8 GB, 160 GB disk) €35.99/mo |
|---|
How we got this: we took the cheapest Hetzner Cloud Regular Performance (shared AMD vCPU) plan with at least the RAM and vCPU the project lists, using prices read from www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance on 2026-10-25. "From" monthly price cap shown by Hetzner, excluding VAT. Prices vary by location. Covers the server only; it excludes LLM API usage, backups, extra storage, GPUs and your time. Disk is not matched; add a volume if you need more than the plan includes.
How to deploy AFFiNE
Method: Docker Compose (official images)
mkdir affine && cd affine && mkdir -p config
curl -L -o docker-compose.yml \
https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml
curl -L -o config/config.json \
https://github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/releases/latest/download/config.json.example
# set server.externalUrl in config/config.json
docker compose up -d
# open http://localhost:3010 and create the admin accountFrom the official instructions: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/docker-compose-recommended. Always check the source for the current version before you run it.
Known gotchas when self-hosting AFFiNE
- Self-hosted workspaces are granted at most 10 seats. A larger team needs a Team Plan subscription or an Installable License. source
- The Team Plan checks license keys online against app.affine.pro. For an intranet where that domain is blocked you need the separately purchased Installable License. source
- AI in self-hosted mode is bring-your-own-key per workspace. Transcription and workspace indexing need a server-stored Gemini key (or an AFFiNE AI plan), and custom or private endpoints are off unless an admin enables them. source
- All data lives in relative folders next to the Compose file (./data/postgres, ./data/storage, ./config). Keep the directory in a stable location and back it up. source
Alternatives in Knowledge base & RAG
- RAGFlow RAG engine with deep document parsing (OCR, layout and tables) and cited answers. Compare AFFiNE vs RAGFlow
- AnythingLLM All-in-one private chat with your documents, agents and an embeddable widget. Compare AFFiNE vs AnythingLLM
- PrivateGPT API-first private document Q&A that sits on top of your own LLM server. Compare AFFiNE vs PrivateGPT
- Open Notebook Private, self-hosted alternative to Google NotebookLM with your choice of AI models. Compare AFFiNE vs Open Notebook
- Onyx (formerly Danswer) AI chat and enterprise search connected to 50+ workplace apps. Compare AFFiNE vs Onyx (formerly Danswer)
- FastGPT Knowledge-base Q&A and visual AI workflow platform. Compare AFFiNE vs FastGPT
- kotaemon Open-source RAG web app for chatting with your documents, with citations and GraphRAG. Compare AFFiNE vs kotaemon
- MaxKB Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. Compare AFFiNE vs MaxKB
- DocsGPT Open-source platform for AI agents and assistants that answer from your documents with sources. Compare AFFiNE vs DocsGPT
- PipesHub Self-hosted workplace search and AI answers across 50+ connected apps, filtered by each user's permissions. Compare AFFiNE vs PipesHub
AFFiNE FAQ
How much RAM does AFFiNE need?
The recommended spec is 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM. Official recommendation: at least 4 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM for basic usage, 4 GB RAM if docs exceed 10k words; the server itself needs about 1.5 GB of disk, plus roughly 100 MB of Postgres per 1k docs and 10 GB of blob storage per 1k blobs; merging a doc with 10k modifications can peak at about 1 GB of memory. Built-in Prometheus monitoring uses about 200 MB.
How much does it cost to self-host AFFiNE?
The software is free to download. Based on the official recommended 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM (no separate minimum published): That fits a Hetzner Cloud CPX32 server at about €35.99/month (server only, excl. VAT). That covers the server only, not LLM API usage, backups, extra storage or your time.
Is AFFiNE free for commercial use?
AFFiNE is licensed under MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code (Open core). Internal business use is allowed under the license text. The README says the Community Edition is free to self-host under the MIT license. The server code under packages/backend carries an AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license that applies to parts not distributed as Community Edition. Self-hosted workspaces get up to 10 seats; more seats need a paid Team Plan or Installable License. This is a summary, not legal advice.
What are common problems when self-hosting AFFiNE?
Self-hosted workspaces are granted at most 10 seats. A larger team needs a Team Plan subscription or an Installable License. The Team Plan checks license keys online against app.affine.pro. For an intranet where that domain is blocked you need the separately purchased Installable License. AI in self-hosted mode is bring-your-own-key per workspace. Transcription and workspace indexing need a server-stored Gemini key (or an AFFiNE AI plan), and custom or private endpoints are off unless an admin enables them. All data lives in relative folders next to the Compose file (./data/postgres, ./data/storage, ./config). Keep the directory in a stable location and back it up.
Is AFFiNE still maintained?
Yes, it is actively developed. Last commit: Oct 27, 2026. Latest release: v0.27.4 (Aug 18, 2026). Checked Oct 29, 2026.
How do I install AFFiNE?
The official method is Docker Compose (official images). The exact commands are in the "How to deploy" section above and in the official instructions: https://docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/docker-compose-recommended
What are self-hosted alternatives to AFFiNE?
Other apps in Knowledge base & RAG: RAGFlow, AnythingLLM, PrivateGPT, Open Notebook, Onyx (formerly Danswer), FastGPT, kotaemon, MaxKB, DocsGPT, PipesHub.
Sources
- GitHub repository: github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE
- Official documentation: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine
- License text: github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/blob/canary/LICENSE
- Hardware requirements: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/requirements
- Deploy instructions, Gotcha 4: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/docker-compose-recommended
- Gotcha 1: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/features/basic-user-quota
- Gotcha 2: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/features/team-license
- Gotcha 3: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/administer/ai
- Hetzner Cloud pricing (cost estimate): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub stars, commits and releases: GitHub REST API, fetched
Facts on this page were checked against the project's own repository and docs on 2026-10-29. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.