AFFiNE vs MaxKB
Short answer
AFFiNE: Notion- and Miro-style workspace (docs, whiteboards, databases) with built-in AI, self-hostable with Docker. MaxKB: Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. Both are in our Knowledge base & RAG category.
Choose AFFiNE if you want: fewer license conditions (Open core vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (74.0k vs 23.1k GitHub stars).
Choose MaxKB if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
AFFiNE vs MaxKB side by side
| AFFiNE | MaxKB | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge base & RAG | Knowledge base & RAG |
| What it is | Notion- and Miro-style workspace (docs, whiteboards, databases) with built-in AI, self-hostable with Docker. | Enterprise knowledge-base and agent platform with RAG and workflows. |
| License | MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code | GPL-3.0 |
| License type | Open core | Copyleft (GPL) |
| License conditions | 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. | Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 74.0k | 23.1k |
| Last commit | Oct 27, 2026 | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Latest release | v0.27.4 | v2.10.8-lts |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo | from €35.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose (official images) | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Free with limits (OIDC free) | Paid / enterprise only (OIDC paid · SAML paid · LDAP paid) |
| Audit log | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| RBAC | Not documented | Paid / enterprise only |
| Details | Full AFFiNE guide → | Full MaxKB guide → |
Key differences
- License: AFFiNE: MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code (Open core). MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)).
- Official hardware: AFFiNE: recommended 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM (no separate minimum published). MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk.
- Deploy: AFFiNE: Docker Compose (official images) · multi-container stack. MaxKB: Docker · single container.
- GitHub stars: AFFiNE: 74.0k. MaxKB: 23.1k.
- Last commit: AFFiNE: Oct 27, 2026. MaxKB: Oct 28, 2026.
- Latest release: AFFiNE: v0.27.4 (Aug 18, 2026). MaxKB: v2.10.8-lts (Oct 22, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Knowledge base & RAG; GPU: not required or not stated; Est. server cost: from €35.99/mo; Status: Active.
AFFiNE vs MaxKB: FAQ
AFFiNE or MaxKB: which should a small business choose?
Choose AFFiNE if you want: fewer license conditions (Open core vs Copyleft (GPL)) and larger community (74.0k vs 23.1k GitHub stars). Choose MaxKB if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Which is cheaper to self-host, AFFiNE or MaxKB?
AFFiNE: from €35.99/mo. MaxKB: from €35.99/mo. Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do AFFiNE and MaxKB need?
AFFiNE: recommended 4 vCPU · 2 GB RAM (no separate minimum published). MaxKB: minimum 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB disk.
What is the license difference between AFFiNE and MaxKB?
AFFiNE: MIT (Community Edition) with Enterprise Edition license for server code (Open core). 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. MaxKB: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is AFFiNE or MaxKB more actively maintained?
AFFiNE: Active, last commit Oct 27, 2026. MaxKB: Active, last commit Oct 28, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 29, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, AFFiNE or MaxKB?
AFFiNE installs via Docker Compose (official images) (multi-container stack); MaxKB via Docker (single container). AFFiNE lists 4 known gotchas and MaxKB lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- AFFiNE self-hosting guide · MaxKB self-hosting guide
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Sources
- AFFiNE GitHub repository: github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE
- AFFiNE documentation: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine
- AFFiNE license: github.com/toeverything/AFFiNE/blob/canary/LICENSE
- AFFiNE hardware requirements: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/requirements
- AFFiNE deploy instructions: docs.affine.pro/self-host-affine/install/docker-compose-recommended
- MaxKB GitHub repository: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB
- MaxKB documentation, MaxKB hardware requirements: docs.fit2cloud.com/maxkb/installation/offline_installtion
- MaxKB license: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB/blob/v2/LICENSE
- MaxKB deploy instructions: github.com/1Panel-dev/MaxKB#quick-start
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-25): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.