Which of these best replicates Notion's databases and views?

Focalboard is closest, with table, board, and calendar views over structured data similar to Notion databases.

Which is best for team documentation and wikis?

Docmost is built specifically for collaborative wiki and documentation use cases, closer to Confluence than to a general notes app.

Which one works offline?

Anytype is local-first, storing data on your device and syncing peer-to-peer or through its own network rather than requiring a live server connection.

Do any of these require a server to self-host?

Focalboard and Docmost both run as self-hosted server applications through Docker; Anytype's core function works without a server, though it offers optional sync.

Can I import my existing Notion pages?

Docmost and Focalboard support importing structured content, but there is no lossless one-click Notion migration for any of the three, since Notion's block format is proprietary.

Do these support real-time multi-user editing?

Docmost supports real-time collaborative editing, Focalboard supports concurrent board updates, and Anytype's collaboration features are more limited given its local-first design.

9 Best Open Source Notion Alternatives

A curated, ranked list of the best open-source Notion alternatives, compared by GitHub stars, license, and self-hosting options.

The best open source alternative to Notion is AppFlowy. If that doesn't suit you, we've compiled a ranked list of open source Notion alternatives to help you find a replacement.

Written by Ege Beşe

Last updated: July 10, 2026

AppFlowy

An open-source, AI-enabled workspace app for docs, kanban boards, and databases, positioned as a self-hostable alternative to Notion.

AFFiNE

A privacy-focused, local-first, open-source workspace merging documents, an edgeless canvas, and databases, positioned as an alternative to Notion and Miro.

SiYuan

SiYuan is a self-hosted, block-based note-taking app with two-way references, a Markdown WYSIWYG editor, and flashcard review built in.

Logseq

Logseq is an open-source outliner for notes and tasks, storing data as local Markdown or Org-mode files with backlinks and a plugin API.

Outline

Self-hostable team wiki and knowledge base with a collaborative editor, built on React and Node.js, also available as a hosted service.

Trilium

Free, open-source note-taking application with a hierarchical tree structure, built for large personal knowledge bases, with sync and encryption.

Focalboard

Focalboard is an open source, self-hosted project management tool with kanban boards, multiple views, and a REST API.

Docmost

Docmost is an open source collaborative wiki and documentation platform with real-time editing, diagrams, spaces, and permissions.

Anytype

Anytype is a local-first, end-to-end encrypted personal knowledge base for building pages, wikis, and databases with peer-to-peer sync.

Why choose an open-source Notion alternative

Notion stores pages and databases in a proprietary block format on its own servers, billed per seat, and every workspace lives entirely inside Notion's infrastructure. Open-source alternatives split that job across more focused tools that store content locally or on infrastructure you run:

Data ownership: notes and documents live in a database or on-device store you control, not in Notion's cloud, so you decide where backups live and who can access them.
Self-hosting: run the tool on your own server for compliance or privacy reasons, which matters for teams handling internal documentation that cannot leave company infrastructure.
Cost: Notion charges per seat and the price climbs as a team grows; self-hosted tools avoid recurring per-user fees regardless of headcount.
Customization: open codebases let you adjust page structure, permissions, and integrations directly instead of waiting on a vendor's roadmap.
Avoiding lock-in: standard export formats or local file storage replace Notion's proprietary block database, so your content is not stuck behind one company's API.

What to look for

Check the editing model (rich text, database-style views, or wiki-style page linking), real-time collaboration and comment support for teams working on the same document, offline or local-first capability if connectivity is a concern, permission and sharing granularity down to the page or workspace level, whether there is a reasonable import path from an existing Notion workspace, and the self-hosting footprint, meaning a single container versus several dependent services to keep running.

How the top Notion alternatives compare

Focalboard provides board, table, and calendar views over structured data, positioned as an alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana together, and is lighter on free-form document editing than the other two tools here.
Docmost is a collaborative wiki and documentation tool aimed at replacing Confluence or Notion for team knowledge bases, with real-time multi-user editing built in from the start.
Anytype is a local-first personal knowledge base with end-to-end encrypted sync, storing data on-device rather than a central server by default, which suits individuals and small teams prioritizing privacy over centralized collaboration.

Frequently asked questions

Notion

Open-source Notion alternatives cover project boards, team wikis, and personal notes without locking your content into a proprietary format.

Visit Notion