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BetterOpenSource

AFFiNE vs Outline

A side-by-side comparison of two open-source tools to help you choose the right one.

Feature
SummaryDocs, whiteboards, and databases in one canvas.A fast, collaborative team knowledge base.
GitHub stars47K31K
LicenseMITBSL 1.1
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
PricingFree & Open SourceFree & Open Source
Self-hostable
ReplacesNotion, MiroConfluence, Notion
Rating4.5 / 54.6 / 5

AFFiNE features

  • Edgeless whiteboard plus page editor
  • Blocks shared between docs and canvas
  • Local-first with end-to-end sync
  • Databases and kanban views
  • Self-hostable server

Outline features

  • Real-time collaborative document editor
  • Blazing-fast full-text search
  • Collections, permissions, and sharing
  • Slack and SSO integrations
  • Markdown import/export and API

AFFiNEpros & cons

Pros

  • Unique doc + canvas hybrid
  • Privacy-focused, local-first
  • Beautiful, modern UI

Cons

  • Younger project, evolving fast
  • Occasional rough edges

Outlinepros & cons

Pros

  • Excellent writing and reading experience
  • Great search and structure
  • Clean, fast UI

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires SSO setup
  • BSL license has commercial conditions

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