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AFFiNE Review

Depends

Should I use AFFiNE?

Open-source Notion & Miro alternative — docs, whiteboards, databases, and AI in one local-first workspace. - affine.pro

· 1 month ago

Buy if you're a solo user or tiny team wanting a free, privacy-first Notion+Miro hybrid and can tolerate rough edges. Skip it if you handle sensitive data or need stability — the RCE CVE and ignored security reports are disqualifying.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; several review snippets truncated. Affine Analytics, Affine (NeuralShift legal AI), and affine.ai are different companies and were excluded.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Pro$6.75/mo
TeamQuote-based

Best for

  • Privacy-focused solo note-takers
  • Docs + whiteboard hybrid workflows
  • Self-hosters wanting open source
  • Budget-conscious 1–3 person teams

Not for

  • Teams handling sensitive data — RCE CVE, ignored XSS reports
  • Groups larger than 3 people on the free plan
  • Buyers who need true MIT licensing
  • Anyone needing a polished, stable daily-driver tool

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Open-source license is not MIT despite marketing framing; verify terms before commercial use

high

Slow response to reported security issues hints at weak support quality

medium

Free plan hard-caps 3 members and 3 devices; growing teams must upgrade quickly

medium

AI is a separate $8.90/month add-on, not included in Pro

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Docs, whiteboards, databases, and AI in one workspace
  • Local-first and privacy-focused; works offline
  • Generous free tier: 10 GB, 3 members, 3 devices
  • Pro costs only $6.75/month
  • Self-hostable; managed hosting available via

Cons

  • Recurring stability complaints across reviews
  • Called 'raw, unaligned, and pretty unsatisfying' by reviewers
  • Remote-code-execution CVE published in 2026
  • Critical XSS reports ignored for two months, researcher says
  • License criticized as misleading — not actually MIT

Sources & method

- 11 sources - Active 2026 CVEs include remote code execution; researchers report ignored XSS findings; no dedicated security page found.

official x2review x5security x3news x1
  • CVE-2026-21853, One-click remote code execution vulnerability in AFFiNE workspace.
  • CVE-2026-25477, Open redirect vulnerability.
  • CVE-2026-7702, Vulnerability detected in AFFiNE; details limited in sources reviewed.
  • Critical XSS reports allegedly ignored, Cybersecurity researcher says critical XSS vulnerabilities were ignored for about two months.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 11

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free tier generous; Pro just $6.75/mo
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Called raw and unsatisfying; stability complaints recur
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Docs, whiteboards, databases, AI in one app
  • Support quality: 2/5. Security reports allegedly ignored for months
  • Security posture: 2/5. RCE plus redirect CVEs; no security page
  • $6.75/mo Starting price Pro plan
  • Yes Free tier 10 GB, 3 members, 3 devices
  • $8.90/mo AI add-on Separate from Pro, 2024 listed price
  • $8M Funding Seed round, Oct 2023

Pricing

Free

$0

  • 10 GB storage
  • 3 members
  • 3 devices

Pro

$6.75/mo

  • Expanded limits
  • Individual use

Team

Quote-based

  • Team collaboration
  • Contact sales

Security

Active 2026 CVEs include remote code execution; researchers report ignored XSS findings; no dedicated security page found.

  • CVE-2026-21853One-click remote code execution vulnerability in AFFiNE workspace.⁸
  • CVE-2026-25477Open redirect vulnerability.⁹
  • CVE-2026-7702Vulnerability detected in AFFiNE; details limited in sources reviewed.
  • Critical XSS reports allegedly ignoredCybersecurity researcher says critical XSS vulnerabilities were ignored for about two months.10

What users say

Sentiment is split: privacy-minded fans praise the lightweight local-first design, while others complain it feels raw and unstable.

“It is a raw, unaligned, and pretty unsatisfying app.”
Product Hunt review
“PSA: Do Not Use Affine - Underhanded Nonsense”
Reddit, r/PKMS (thread title)
“Overall, AFFiNE is lightweight, privacy-forward, a…”
XDA Developers review
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; several review snippets truncated. Affine Analytics, Affine (NeuralShift legal AI), and affine.ai are different companies and were excluded.

Free, feature-packed Notion+Miro hybrid — but stability gripes and ignored security reports make it risky for teams.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; several review snippets truncated. Affine Analytics, Affine (NeuralShift legal AI), and affine.ai are different companies and were excluded.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. AFFiNE Pricing 2026: Free, Pro, Team Plansaffine.pro
    official
  2. AFFiNE — Open-Source Knowledge Base Softwareaffine.pro
    official
  3. AFFiNE Free Plan: 10 GB, 3 Members, 3 Devices (2026)freealternatives.to
    review
  4. AFFiNE Reviews (2026)producthunt.com
    review
  5. I built a second brain with AFFiNExda-developers.com
    review
  6. PSA: Do Not Use Affinereddit.com
    review
  7. AFFiNE is evil and misleading (is not actually MIT)reddit.com
    review
  8. CVE-2026-21853: AFFiNE Workspace RCE Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
    security
  9. CVE-2026-25477 Detailnvd.nist.gov
    security
  10. Critical XSS vulnerabilities in AFFiNE are being ignoredreddit.com
    security
  11. AFFiNE raises $8M funding roundprnewswire.com
    news

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