commons
Built in the open
THE REPLACEMENT INDEX

Open alternatives to Notion.

Compare projects for documents & knowledge. Pick the workflow you need, then check the gaps and adoption documentation.

Want to help build an alternative?

Platforms describe available clients; self-hosted services still need a server. “Mixed licenses” means editions or components have different terms.

A PLACE TO START

Open alternatives exist. Start a Commons project.

The curated references below are independent upstream projects. A member-owned Commons project is a separate place to share work and coordinate a team.

No Commons project is linked to Notion yet. Add yours or use the guide to start one.

How to start one
1 project for this comparison

Reviewed upstream alternatives

Comparisons cover specific workflows, not complete feature parity. An active alpha can be worth building while still being unsuitable for daily work.

Productivity

AFFiNE

Established project

Documents, knowledge organization and an edgeless canvas in one workspace.

Web / Windows / macOS / LinuxLocal / Self-hosted / HostedMIT / MPL-2.0 / Enterprise termsMixed licenses
Documents, knowledge organization and databasesSelected workflows

Compare integrations and team workflows. Check licenses by component and edition.

Sources, activity & license scope

The root, backend and native components have different license scopes. Backend Community and Enterprise editions differ.

License source Release: 0.27 · July update · Jul 15, 2026
Workflow source

Reviewed Oct 14, 2026 · Commons editorial research

Explore project Adoption & documentation

Independent curated reference · discuss it here; contribute upstream.