Last checked October 15, 2026
Best Free Alternatives to Notion (2026)
Notion combines nested documents with databases, lightweight sites, and AI on paid business plans. Teams usually feel the bill once a second person joins and the free block cap kicks in.
What Notion costs
Plus is $10 per member/month billed annually, or $12 month to month. Business is $20 per member/month billed annually, or $24 month to month.
The Free plan is unlimited for a single person. Adding a second member applies a block cap (reported as 1,000 blocks in 2026 pricing write-ups of Notion's own page). Enterprise is quoted.
Ranked by Drop-in score
How we rank#1 is the highest-scoring alternative that is not sponsored. A featured listing, when one is sold, is labeled and sits after #1.
- 69#1Open source
Docmost
An open-source team wiki with real-time editing.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · AGPL-3.0 (core)
WebSelf-host - 69#2Source-available92% of checklist checked
AFFiNE
Local-first docs and whiteboards. MIT editor, source-available server.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · MIT editor; AFFiNE EE license for the backend
MacWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidWebSelf-host - 66#3Source-available
AppFlowy
A local-first workspace with a commercial self-hosted server.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · AGPL-3.0 clients; commercial license for the current self-hosted server
MacWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidWebSelf-host - 59#4Free, closed source
Obsidian
A free, closed-source app that stores plain Markdown on disk.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · Proprietary
MacWindowsLinuxiOSAndroid - 59#5Source-available
Outline
A fast team wiki under the Business Source License.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · Business Source License 1.1
WebSelf-host - 59#6Source-available86% of checklist checked
Anytype
A local-first, encrypted workspace of linked objects.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · Any Source Available License
MacWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidSelf-host
Feature by feature
Full is the whole job. Partial is a real version with a gap. Missing means it does not do this. Not checked counts as zero in the score.
| Feature | Docmost#1 · 69 | AFFiNE#2 · 69 | AppFlowy#3 · 66 | Obsidian#4 · 59 | Outline#5 · 59 | Anytype#6 · 59 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich documents and nested pagesWeight 10 | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
| Databases and multiple viewsWeight 10 | PartialStructured collections exist, but they are not Notion-style relational databases. | PartialDatabase blocks exist. They do not match Notion's linked databases and formulas. | PartialGrid, kanban, and calendar views exist. Formulas, rollups, and relations are thinner than Notion. | PartialProperties and Bases cover tables of notes. They are not Notion databases. | Missing | PartialSets, collections, and relations cover structured data with a different model than Notion. |
| Real-time collaborationWeight 8 | Full | Full | PartialReal-time collaboration needs AppFlowy Cloud or the self-hosted server. Local mode is single-user. | Missing | Full | PartialShared spaces exist. They are not Google-Docs-style cursors on a wiki page. |
| Public sharing and simple sitesWeight 5 | PartialPages can be published. Notion-style sites and forms are out of scope. | Partial | PartialPublishing is available on cloud and self-hosted plans, with tighter limits than Notion sites. | PartialPublish is a paid site add-on. There is no shared workspace cursor. | PartialDocuments can be shared publicly. It is not a site builder. | Partial |
| Offline editingWeight 6 | Missing | Full | Full | Full | Missing | Full |
| Comments and mentionsWeight 4 | Full | Partial | PartialComments exist on hosted workspaces and are not as central as Notion's. | Missing | Full | Not checked |
| TemplatesWeight 3 | PartialYou can duplicate pages. There is no equivalent template gallery. | Partial | Partial | Full | Partial | Partial |
| Mobile appsWeight 5 | PartialResponsive web app, no separate native apps confirmed here. | Full | Full | Full | PartialUsable in the mobile browser. Native apps are not the product. | Full |
| Local-first or self-hosted dataWeight 8 | Full | PartialLocal workspaces are yours. The server backend is source-available, not MIT. | PartialLocal data is yours. The current official server is commercially licensed. | PartialFiles are yours. The app is not open source and there is no self-hosted server. | PartialYou can self-host for internal use. The BSL forbids resale as a service. | PartialLocal-first and self-hostable, under a source-available license. |
| API and integrationsWeight 5 | PartialAn API exists; some integration features are enterprise-licensed. | Not checked | Partial | PartialPlugin API and URI schemes, not a team REST API. | Full | Not checked |
Real cost
Docmost
- Free tier
- The AGPL core is free to self-host.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. Docker Compose is the documented path. You run the app plus Postgres. Approximate server cost: $6–15/mo for a small VPS. Unverified estimate.
AFFiNE
- Free tier
- Cloud Free includes unlimited local workspaces, 10 GB cloud storage, up to 3 members, 7-day version history, and 3 devices.
- Hosted plan
- Pro is listed at $6.75/month on the annually billed toggle. Team is $10 per seat/month. A separate AI add-on is listed at $8.90/month billed annually. Self-hosting is free up to 10 seats; Team self-host is $10/seat/month billed annually or $12 monthly.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. Docker Compose is documented. Free self-host covers up to 10 seats per workspace. Past that you need a Team subscription or an installable license. Approximate server cost: $8–20/mo for a small VPS. Unverified estimate.
AppFlowy
- Free tier
- Local use is free. Cloud Personal is $0. The self-hosted free tier is one user seat and up to three guest editors per instance.
- Hosted plan
- Pro is $12 per member/month billed annually, or $16 billed monthly. Guests on Pro are not charged. Each workspace has its own plan.
- Self-hosting
- Hard. The supported Docker stack is the commercial distribution, aimed at experienced operators. The free tier is a one-seat evaluation, not an unlimited team server.
Obsidian
- Free tier
- The app is free, including commercial use. A commercial license is optional and encouraged at $50 per user/year.
- Hosted plan
- Sync is $4 per user/month billed annually. Publish is $8 per site/month billed annually.
- Self-hosting
- Not a self-hosted product. There is no Obsidian server. Sync can be DIY with a folder you already control, or via the paid Sync add-on.
Outline
- Free tier
- Self-hosting the community edition is free within the BSL terms. Outline also sells hosted Business and Enterprise plans.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. Docker and a Postgres database are the usual install. You also need an authentication provider. Approximate server cost: $6–15/mo for a small VPS. Unverified estimate.
Anytype
- Free tier
- The apps are free, including encrypted sync. Paid plans add network backup storage. Unverified.
- Paid backup tiers were reported in 2026 at $4, $8, and $16 per month billed annually.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Hard. You can run your own sync node. It is a self-hosting project, not a one-click Docker wiki.
Top pair
Migrate from Notion to Docmost
Export the workspace as Markdown and CSV, then rebuild the wiki in Docmost. Treat databases as a separate project, not as something the export preserves.
Read the migration guide