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Free alternatives to Notion

Best free option: AppFlowy (Strong). Switching saves about $120 USD a year.

Notion, Plus plan, per member

$120 USDa year

≈$171.08 CAD (converted from USD)

Every pick below has a free version.

Runs on
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
Key file formats
.md.html.csv

Filter alternatives

5 alternatives

Strong

4 tools

Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.

  1. Rank 1: AppFlowy

    Best for a self-hostable Notion-style workspace

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Active
    • MD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Documents import and export one page at a time; Notion exports import as Markdown
    • HTML: saves only, partial fidelity. Export only
    • CSV: opens and saves, full fidelity. Databases import and export as CSV

    Imports Notion ZIP exports, Markdown and CSV. The free cloud plan has one member; teams use a paid plan or self-host. Free version: Free Personal cloud plan with one member, 100 MB storage and 7 MB uploads. Local use and self-hosting are free.

  2. Rank 2: AFFiNE

    Best for docs and whiteboards in one local-first app

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Active
    • MD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Page text and basic blocks round trip; databases do not
    • HTML: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Page text and basic blocks round trip; databases do not

    The editor is MIT-licensed. The self-host server is source-available and free up to 10 seats per workspace. Free version: Unlimited local workspaces. Free cloud workspaces have 10 GB, 3 members and 7-day history. Self-hosting is free up to 10 seats.

  3. Rank 3: Anytype

    Best for private local-first notes with linked objects

    License: Source-available
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • iOS
    • Android
    Status: Active
    • MD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Import single files or a ZIP of Markdown; links between pages may not carry over
    • HTML: opens only, partial fidelity. Import only
    • CSV: opens only, partial fidelity. Import only; columns map to properties

    Source-available license, free for non-commercial use. Imports Notion through its API or Markdown and CSV exports; some formulas and mentions become plain values. Free version: Free plan: 100 MB of remote storage and 10 shared channels. Paid memberships add storage and an ANY ID.

  4. Rank 4: Obsidian

    Best for personal notes stored as local Markdown files

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • iOS
    • Android
    Status: Verified
    • ENEX: opens only, partial fidelity. Imports ENEX through the Importer plug-in and converts notes to Markdown; no ENEX export
    • HTML: opens only, partial fidelity. Importer plug-in converts HTML to Markdown; notes are not stored as HTML
    • MD: opens and saves, full fidelity. Notes are plain Markdown files
    • CSV: opens only, partial fidelity. Importer plug-in turns CSV rows into notes; no CSV export

    Free for personal and work use. Imports Notion exports with the official Importer plugin. Sync and Publish are paid add-ons.

Situational

1 tool

Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.

  1. Rank 5: Logseq

    Best for outliner-style notes and daily journals

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    Status: Active
    • MD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Pages are Markdown files with Logseq block syntax; export strips block properties
    • HTML: saves only, partial fidelity. Export only

    Logseq 2.0 runs on a database and is labelled beta. Built around daily journals and linked blocks rather than Notion-style databases.

Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.

Feature parity

How each alternative covers what people use Notion for. Numbers link to editor notes.

Feature parity with Notion
FeatureAppFlowyAFFiNEAnytypeObsidianLogseq
Databases
Databases with table, board and calendar viewsPartialNote 1PartialNote 2PartialNote 3PartialNote 4PartialNote 5
Writing
Nested pages and a block editorYesYesYesNote 6PartialNote 7PartialNote 8
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration and sharingPartialNote 9PartialNote 10PartialNote 11NoNote 12NoNote 13
Sharing
Publish pages to the webPartialNote 14PartialNote 15NoNote 16NoNote 17PartialNote 18
Apps
Mobile apps and offline accessPartialNote 19PartialNote 20YesYesNote 21PartialNote 22
AI
Built-in AI assistantPartialNote 23NoNote 24NoNote 25NoNote 26NoNote 27
Parity score58%50%50%33%33%
  1. AppFlowy, Databases with table, board and calendar views: Grid, board and calendar views, with fewer database features than Notion
  2. AFFiNE, Databases with table, board and calendar views: Database blocks inside docs, lighter than Notion's databases
  3. Anytype, Databases with table, board and calendar views: Sets and collections with several view types, built on a different object model
  4. Obsidian, Databases with table, board and calendar views: The Bases core plugin shows notes as filtered tables and cards; it is not a full database
  5. Logseq, Databases with table, board and calendar views: Queries and property tables; the database version is in beta
  6. Anytype, Nested pages and a block editor: Pages are objects built from blocks, with types and relations
  7. Obsidian, Nested pages and a block editor: Markdown notes in folders with links; no nested block pages
  8. Logseq, Nested pages and a block editor: Block outliner with linked pages; no free-form page layout
  9. AppFlowy, Real-time collaboration and sharing: The free cloud plan has one member; teams need a paid plan or a self-hosted server
  10. AFFiNE, Real-time collaboration and sharing: Free cloud workspaces allow 3 members; self-hosting is free up to 10 seats per workspace
  11. Anytype, Real-time collaboration and sharing: Free plan: 10 shared channels and 100 MB of remote storage
  12. Obsidian, Real-time collaboration and sharing: Shared vaults need the paid Obsidian Sync add-on
  13. Logseq, Real-time collaboration and sharing: The free app has no built-in real-time co-editing
  14. AppFlowy, Publish pages to the web: Publishing needs AppFlowy Cloud or a self-hosted server
  15. AFFiNE, Publish pages to the web: Sharing a read-only public link works through AFFiNE Cloud or a self-hosted server
  16. Anytype, Publish pages to the web: Web publishing needs an ANY ID, which comes with a paid membership
  17. Obsidian, Publish pages to the web: Obsidian Publish is a paid add-on
  18. Logseq, Publish pages to the web: Public pages can be exported as a static site you host yourself
  19. AppFlowy, Mobile apps and offline access: iOS and Android apps exist; syncing devices needs an account
  20. AFFiNE, Mobile apps and offline access: Local-first desktop app; mobile apps are newer
  21. Obsidian, Mobile apps and offline access: iOS and Android apps keep notes as local files
  22. Logseq, Mobile apps and offline access: Mobile apps exist; the iOS app for version 2.0 is in TestFlight beta
  23. AppFlowy, Built-in AI assistant: AI features are a limited trial on the free plan; local models run through Ollama
  24. AFFiNE, Built-in AI assistant: AFFiNE AI is a paid add-on
  25. Anytype, Built-in AI assistant: No AI assistant is listed for the free plan
  26. Obsidian, Built-in AI assistant: No built-in AI; community plugins connect to outside services
  27. Logseq, Built-in AI assistant: No built-in AI assistant

Not covered by any free alternative yet: Databases with table, board and calendar views, Real-time collaboration and sharing, Publish pages to the web, Built-in AI assistant. See all feature gaps

File formats

Can each alternative open and save Notion files?

Opening and saving Notion files
FormatAppFlowyAFFiNEAnytypeObsidianLogseq
.mdOpens and savesNote 1Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 2Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 3Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 4Full fidelityOpens and savesNote 5Partial fidelity
.htmlSaves onlyNote 6Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 7Partial fidelityOpens onlyNote 8Partial fidelityOpens onlyNote 9Partial fidelitySaves onlyNote 10Partial fidelity
.csvOpens and savesNote 11Full fidelityNoNote 12Opens onlyNote 13Partial fidelityOpens onlyNote 14Partial fidelityNoNote 15
  1. AppFlowy, .md: Documents import and export one page at a time; Notion exports import as Markdown
  2. AFFiNE, .md: Page text and basic blocks round trip; databases do not
  3. Anytype, .md: Import single files or a ZIP of Markdown; links between pages may not carry over
  4. Obsidian, .md: Notes are plain Markdown files
  5. Logseq, .md: Pages are Markdown files with Logseq block syntax; export strips block properties
  6. AppFlowy, .html: Export only
  7. AFFiNE, .html: Page text and basic blocks round trip; databases do not
  8. Anytype, .html: Import only
  9. Obsidian, .html: Importer plug-in converts HTML to Markdown; notes are not stored as HTML
  10. Logseq, .html: Export only
  11. AppFlowy, .csv: Databases import and export as CSV
  12. AFFiNE, .csv: No CSV import or export
  13. Anytype, .csv: Import only; columns map to properties
  14. Obsidian, .csv: Importer plug-in turns CSV rows into notes; no CSV export
  15. Logseq, .csv: No built-in CSV import or export

What switching saves

Switching saves about $120 USD / ≈$171 CAD (estimated from the USD price) a year. Prices checked ; ≈ means converted from USD.

Based on Plus plan, per member. Price source. USD to CAD at 1.4257 as of Oct 7, 2026.

About this page

Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.

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Related

Notion is a product of Notion Labs, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Notion: Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Android.