AFFiNE

Workspace with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases

4.7•22 reviews•

2.1K followers

Workspace with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases

4.7•22 reviews•

2.1K followers

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Note and writing apps

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Team collaboration software

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Knowledge base software

An all-in-one workspace where you can write, draw, and plan just about anything. Enable dynamic note-taking, tasks, visualized mindmaps, and presentations.

AFFiNE Reviews

The community submitted 22 reviews to tell us what they like about AFFiNE, what AFFiNE can do better, and more.

4.7

Based on 22 reviews

Review AFFiNE?

AFFiNE earns praise for its clean, open-source, offline-first approach, self-hosting, and flexible docs-to-whiteboard flow that aids ideation and planning. Reviewers like the responsive team, rapid updates, and cross-device sync, with several calling it a strong Notion/Miro alternative. Common wishes: better mobile readiness, richer search/find-replace, improved tagging/graph views, and more intuitive AI and export options. From the makers of

Grimo

, feedback highlights strong tech ambition and thoughtful design. Despite occasional lag and feature gaps, users report steady progress and growing confidence in its direction.

+19

Summarized with AI

Pros

clean interface (3)

combines docs and whiteboards (3)

offline first (3)

active community (2)

responsive team (2)

self-hosted (2)

Cons

feature disparity with Notion (4)

lag issues (2)

Pros

Cons

Reviews

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Founder Reviews (5)

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Other Reviews (17)

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•2 reviews

For a long time, I was looking for an app to manage my notes. I used Logseq, Obsidian, Simple note, ... but I didn't feel attached to them. Obsidian is great, and it has so many useful plugins but I can't selfhost it and use it everywhere. When I first installed and used Affine, it came to my mind that this is the one I was looking for. I hosted it on my VPS, installed the app on my mobile and mac, it was incredible. The chrome web-clipper plugin is a game changer. I can quickly select whatever on the page and save it to my notes. There is a lot of room for improvement, specially from someone who came from Obsidian and tweaked every piece of it (even icons), but I like it and I'm waiting for plugins to make it better.

What's great

self-hosted (2)chrome web-clipper plugin (1)

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24 views5mo ago

•2 reviews

Excited about the intuitive features, such as the instant doc-to-edgeless and edgeless-to-doc on the click of a button. Thusly allows spatial to linear doc views and vice versa, instantly. Like having a desk with all your materials and then instant clearing of desk, but incorporating what you want of what is on the desk to appear in the linear doc. Intuitive and frictionless. I just started using AFFiNE but am excited about it. I already know this is something that I will use even though I have barely gotten a handle on it. I am attracted by what has been presented, instead of overwhelmed. I feel the pull of it, as I have with other apps I supported early on, and only later came to fully appreciate and understand how to derive benefit and pleasure. AFFiNE, I already know, is one of those types of apps for me.

What's great

flexible (1)combines docs and whiteboards (3)

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16 views1yr ago

•1 review

This app is very promising but extremely counterintuitive. If you've ever used Notion and Notion AI, you'll feel like someone has amputated your arm. When you select text and use "Improve with AI," you'll likely get back content that's mostly unrelated to your text and in markdown format. Unlike Notion, which offers an intuitive flow for working with text—allowing you to write several paragraphs, select them, and immediately open an AI field to add instructions—Affine requires a more cumbersome process. In Affine, you need to select the text, switch to the right-side panel, and then return to the text, repeating this process as needed. Affine does have some cool features that Notion lacks. For example, you can select an image within the text and ask AI to explain it. However, you can't select a screenshot from Google Analytics that you’ve put into the text and type in an empty AI field "explain the connection between relative conversion and seasonal factors." Instead, you need to select the image, click "Ask AI," then "Continue with AI," explain in the right-side panel what you need from the AI, and if you get the expected context (which usually you don't), you then need to click below your text block and select "insert below" in the right-side panel. If you use AI again, there's a high probability that you'll receive the text in markdown format. None of these issues are apparent in the first free 10 uses of Affine AI. But you can't pay for Affine AI monthly; you need to pay for a whole year’s subscription. And when you start working, you realize you bought an AI assistant that doesn't actually assist. The text in the app is too tiny and small, causing eye strain, and after 20 minutes of working, you'll want to sleep. Generally speaking, nothing works as your brain expects it to. Affine is not a "second brain". It is a raw, unaligned, and pretty unsatisfying app. You can try writing to the Affine community, and you'll get a polite answer that "there is no scheduling for AI because the team is busy with everything else." What is the point of positioning the product as a replacement for Notion and Miro if Affine is no match for either of them separately? I need Affine only for a particular project I lead. Whatever I need, I write in Notion and then paste it into Affine.

What needs improvement

feature disparity with Notion (4)AI usability issues (1)text size too small (1)

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15 views1yr ago

•1 review

I have tried many Note taking apps but by so far Affine remains the best of them all. Offline first, clean UI and no vendor lock in. It doesn't try to over -complicate things. Here are some things I think need improving and adding: - Exporting to PDF just takes a screenshot of the entire document. There should be an option to export to an actual text based PDF where you can select text..etc -There is currently no find and replace feature in the documents. I think the ability to find all occurences of a word or phrase and replacing is very essential in a document editor -The app practically forces you to have at least a favourite document, other wise there will be a huge jarring space in the favourites space that can only be reduced if you add a favourite

What's great

clean interface (3)offline first (3)

What needs improvement

export limitations (1)no find and replace (1)

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1yr ago

•1 review

Even though I don't use Affine (yet) full, because there are some things I miss from Notion, I love it. I love the community, I love the idea of local-first AND being open-source. I am integrating Blocksuite (one of the building blocks of Affine) into my app, because everything is thinked all the way through. Bugfixes are fast, Discord community is alive, passionately discussing! I am looking forward to the moment when I can replace Notion with Affine.

What's great

open source (1)active community (2)responsive team (2)offline first (3)

What needs improvement

feature disparity with Notion (4)

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1 view2yr ago

AFFiNE

Great to hear you're enjoying AFFiNE's community and its local-first, open-source philosophy! Your feedback, especially on integrating BlockSuite and the lively Discord discussions, is highly valued. We're eager to keep improving until AFFiNE becomes your top choice. Thanks for your support!

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2yr ago

•2 reviews

The conceptual framework and intrinsic design are exemplary; however, achieving a comprehensive solution is a distant goal. Many software products on the market, albeit with less elegance, can perform a multitude of complex functions, such as those offered by Obsidian and SiYuan. Enhancement avenues, in descending order of priority: 1. Multi-tab management akin to browser functionality 2. Incorporate pagination 3. Block-level referencing and backlink identification. 4. Outlink and backlink interface. 5. Elevate search capabilities with highlighting and search-and-replace features. 6. Refine auto-folder with other attribute filtering and content search. 7. Flashcard and review mechanisms like FSRS, potentially diverging from original intent. 8. Publishing features, albeit possibly straying from initial vision.

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1yr ago

•1 review

I was looking for software like Notion but that offered the ability to take handwritten notes, that's when I came across AFFiNE. Beyond the fact that AFFiNE meets my expectations, the software even offers frames for making presentations. The team is super responsive and very active on Discord, the software is regularly updated, and users can suggest ideas that get implemented. PS: Did I mention there's a free plan?

What's great

free tier (1)regular updates (1)active community (2)responsive team (2)

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2yr ago

•6 reviews

I use this webapp, notion and teambition to organize my daily life, the most attractive feature of this app for me is the clear and simple guide, easy-to-use function, and the working together function. This like a combination of all the tools I use before, but it makes all functions simple and easy to co-work, thank so much.

What's great

combines multiple productivity tools (1)

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6mo ago

•1 review

Great product that combines many functions to make my thinking, product design, business planning, keeping study notes, and many other works much more smoothly and efficiently. I like the feature of converting between doc and mindset graphs. All in all, big love to AFFiNE!!!

What's great

combines docs and whiteboards (3)

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2yr ago

•2 reviews

I must say that the current interface is still basic compared to Notion or Obsidian, only fulfilling the essential functions. I look forward to the prompt implementation of third-party plugin support.

What needs improvement

feature disparity with Notion (4)

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1 view2yr ago

AFFiNE

Workspace with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases

Workspace with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases

AFFiNE Reviews

The community submitted 22 reviews to tell us what they like about AFFiNE, what AFFiNE can do better, and more.

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