os-alt

self-host the SaaS you're paying for

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AFFiNE vs Outline

Self-host pick — both replace Notion (Notes / wiki / docs).

Both AFFiNE and Outline self-host as a replacement for Notion (Notes / wiki / docs). Pick AFFiNE if you want a MIT-licensed codebase (MIT); pick Outline for source-available (BSL-1.1). Both run in roughly the same cost bracket — $5-10 vps for a small team; single postgres + the affine server image vs $5 vps handles a 25-person team comfortably (postgres + redis + s3-compatible blob store on the same box).

AFFiNEopen-sourceOutlineopen-source
LicenseMITBSL-1.1
Setup time20min docker-compose15min docker-compose
Monthly cost$5-10 VPS for a small team; single Postgres + the AFFiNE server image.$5 VPS handles a 25-person team comfortably (Postgres + Redis + S3-compatible blob store on the same box).
GitHubtoeverything/AFFiNE ★ 68.4k · last commit todayaliveoutline/outline ★ 38.5k · last commit todayalive
ReplacesNotionNotion + 2 other

Good fit for

AFFiNE

Users who want pages + a whiteboard surface in one tool.

Weak at:Bulk team admin (SSO, audit logs) is thinner than Outline.

Outline

Teams that mainly use Notion as a wiki / handbook / docs site.

Weak at:Notion-style relational databases and rollups.

In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli notion prints Notion's self-host options including both — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Which is easier to self-host, AFFiNE or Outline?

AFFiNE: 20min docker-compose. Outline: 15min docker-compose.

What does each cost to run?

AFFiNE: $5-10 VPS for a small team; single Postgres + the AFFiNE server image.. Outline: $5 VPS handles a 25-person team comfortably (Postgres + Redis + S3-compatible blob store on the same box).. Both projects are free and open source.

Do AFFiNE and Outline replace the same SaaS?

Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Notion.