AFFiNE vs Notion

AFFiNE

• People who want documents and a whiteboard in the same workspace
• Users who want notes stored on their own device
• Teams looking to self-host a knowledge base

Notion

• Teams that want docs, a wiki and project tracking in one workspace
• Individuals who want a free personal workspace with unlimited pages
• Building custom trackers and dashboards from databases

AFFiNE

• The Free cloud tier is capped at 10 GB of storage, 10 MB per file, 3 members per workspace and 3 login devices.
• AFFiNE AI is a separate add-on at $8.9 a month, billed annually, rather than part of the Pro or Team feature lists.
• The self-hosted backend uses the AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license, which allows source review only without a commercial agreement.
• The Believer Plan's lifetime license is for personal use.

Notion

• Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes and Enterprise Search are only a limited trial on Free and Plus; full access starts at Business.
• The Free plan limits blocks once a second member joins, caps file uploads at 5 MB and keeps 7 days of page history.
• There is no Linux desktop app; Notion points Linux users to the browser version.
• Custom Agents run on Notion credits, an add-on for Business and Enterprise priced at $10 per 1,000 monthly credits.

AFFiNE

Docs, whiteboards and databases together

Block-based documents, the Edgeless whiteboard and databases live in one workspace, used for wikis, mood boards, storyboards, project tasks and mind maps.

Local-first storage

The desktop apps run documents, databases and the whiteboard locally and fully offline, with no account required. Cloud sync is optional.

Cloud collaboration

AFFiNE Cloud adds real-time co-editing of documents and whiteboards, a notification center and version history: 7 days on Free, 30 days on Pro.

AFFiNE AI

A paid add-on that drafts and rewrites text, translates, fixes grammar, finds action items and turns outlines into mind maps or presentations (beta).

Self-hosting

The full stack can run on your own servers with Docker. Self-hosting is free for up to 10 seats per workspace, and a Team license adds more.

Templates

Ready-made templates include a digital planner, storyboard, Cornell notes, one-pager, checklist and vision board.

Notion

Docs and pages

Pages hold text, media and embeds. Several people can edit the same page, leave comments and @-mention each other.

Databases

Databases organize hundreds or thousands of items such as projects or tasks. Charts are limited to 1 on Free, and database automations start on Plus.

Wikis

A knowledge base keeps team documentation in one place. Private teamspaces for restricting access need the Business plan.

Notion Agent, Meeting Notes and Search

The AI agent, meeting transcription with summaries and search across connected apps are included from Business. Free and Plus get a limited trial.

Forms and Sites

Collect responses into a database and publish pages to the web. Custom forms start on Plus, conditional logic on Business, and custom domains are billed per domain.

Offline pages

The desktop and mobile apps can view, edit and create pages offline. Free users pick pages to download; paid plans also download recent and favorite pages automatically.

AFFiNE

• Free$0

  Listed as Local FOSS + Cloud Basic: unlimited local workspaces and editing, with 10 GB of cloud storage and up to 3 members per workspace.

• Pro$6.75

  per month, billed annually

  100 GB of cloud storage, 100 MB per file, up to 10 members per workspace and 30 days of version history.

• AFFiNE AI$8.9

  per month, billed annually

  Add-on that brings AI writing, rewriting, translation, mind maps and presentations into docs and whiteboards.

• Team$10

  per seat / month, billed annually; $12 billed monthly

  100 GB of storage plus 20 GB per seat, 500 MB per file, multiple admin roles and priority support. Also sold for self-hosted use.

• Believer Plan$499.99

  one-time purchase

  Lifetime personal use of everything in Pro, with 1 TB of cloud storage.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For 100+ seats and regulated industries: custom contract, dedicated contact, source code review and hybrid self-host and cloud options.

Notion

• Free$0

  For individuals: unlimited pages and blocks for one person, 5 MB file uploads, 7-day page history, 10 guests and basic forms.

• Plus$10

  per member / month, billed yearly

  Unlimited file uploads, 30-day page history, unlimited guests, custom forms, unlimited charts and database automations.

• Business$20

  per member / month, billed yearly

  Everything in Plus, plus Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, Enterprise Search (beta), SAML SSO, private teamspaces and 90-day page history.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Business, plus SCIM user provisioning, audit logs, advanced security controls and unlimited page history.

AFFiNE

• Annual discount

  Save 15% with annual billing

  The pricing page states a 15% saving on annual billing. Team is $10 per seat a month billed annually or $12 billed monthly, and the App Store lists Pro at $7.99 monthly or $81 yearly.

• Lifetime license

  Believer Plan lifetime license

  A single $499.99 payment gives lifetime personal use of AFFiNE Pro with 1 TB of cloud storage and no subscription.

Notion

• Annual discount

  Save up to 20% with yearly billing

  Notion's pricing page says paying yearly instead of monthly saves up to 20% on the Plus and Business plans.

• Education

  Free Education plan for students and educators

  Students and educators at accredited colleges and universities get a free one-member workspace with Plus features by signing up with a school email. K-12 is not eligible.

• Nonprofit

  50% off the Business plan for nonprofits

  Verified nonprofit organizations can apply for 50% off the Business plan on up to three workspaces. Verification takes 3 to 7 business days.

• Startups

  Up to 6 months of Business free for startups

  Startups under 100 employees that are not yet paying customers can apply for 1, 3 or 6 months of the Business plan free, depending on partner affiliation and company details.