$10/user/mo
Cloud price
starting price
Report
Should I Use AppFlowy?
AppFlowy is the AI collaborative workspace where you achieve more without losing control of your data
Depends
DependsBuy it if data control outweighs polish and someone on your team can own patching and hosting; the free self-host core is genuinely capable.
Strong privacy play for self-hosters, but 2026 CVEs and clunky UX make it a poor Notion swap for non-technical teams.
Confidence: Medium
Yes
Free tier
open-source self-host + free local AI
$6.4M
Funding
seed round, Nov 2023, Singapore
4
2026 CVEs
incl. auth bypass and SQL injection
Value for money
4
Free self-host core with local AI; cloud from $10/user
Ease of use
2
UI repeatedly called clunky and cluttered
Feature depth
3
Docs, boards, AI cover Notion basics, less polish
Support quality
2
Users report frustrating self-hosting with little help
Security posture
2
Four 2026 CVEs incl. auth bypass and SQLi
Pros
Cons
Gotchas
- highAppFlowy-Cloud 0.7.2–0.9.64 has known auth flaws — stay current or risk exposure⁵
- highSelf-hosting spans multiple services; Reddit users report abandoned setups after hours of frustration
- mediumOpen-core model: cloud and some AI features sit behind paid plans despite open-source branding³
- mediumOnly one local backup per day by default — verify your data integrity setup
Best for
- Privacy-first teams
- Self-hosters wanting Notion-style docs
- Open-source advocates
- Indie hackers and individuals
Not for
- Non-technical teams wanting a turnkey Notion experience
- Anyone without time to patch frequent security updates
- Enterprises needing vendor-grade compliance and support
- Buyers who won't tolerate clunky, cluttered UI
Pricing
Free / open source
$0
- Self-host unlimited docs
- Free local AI
- Community support
Cloud
$10/user/mo
- Hosted collaborative workspace
- No server management
Security
Active 2026 CVE record in AppFlowy-Cloud: authorization bypass, auth flaws, and authenticated SQL injection — patch promptly.
- CVE-2026-88898AppFlowy-Cloud 0.7.2–0.9.64 fail a required access check (missing authorization).⁵
- CVE-2026-85619AppFlowy-Cloud 0.9.64 authenticated API authorization bypass.
- CVE-2026-85622Medium-severity incorrect authorization issue in AppFlowy-Cloud.
- CVE-2026-16007Authenticated SQL injection affecting AppFlowy's QuickNote feature.⁶
What users say
Users praise the privacy stance and free local AI but routinely flag clunky UI, painful self-hosting, and weak enterprise presence.
“I ditched Notion, Trello, and Asana for this open-source app and it blew my mind”
“AppFlowy finally feels like real Notion, and self-hosting it fixed my biggest complaint”
“Tried self-hosting AppFlowy — turns out it's not really open-...”
Alternatives
Compare AppFlowy with each alternative.
Notion
The polished original; easier if you don't need data control.
AppFlowy vs NotionAFFiNE
Open-source docs-plus-whiteboard rival; some reviewers prefer it.
AppFlowy vs AFFiNEOutline
Simpler self-hosted team wiki; far easier to run.
AppFlowy vs OutlineObsidian
Local-first notes; simplest if you don't need collaboration.
AppFlowy vs ObsidianFull analysis
Based on 30+ public sources: Reddit threads, CVE advisories, pricing pages, and independent reviews.
Sources
- AppFlowy Pricing - Cloud & Self-hosted Plansappflowy.comofficial
- AppFlowy GitHub (AGPL-3.0)github.comofficial
- Tried self-hosting AppFlowy (Reddit)reddit.comreview
- I ditched Notion, Trello, and Asana (XDA)xda-developers.comreview
- CVE-2026-88898 (Rapid7)rapid7.comsecurity
- AppFlowy Authenticated SQL Injection (Project Black)projectblack.iosecurity
- 5 Awesome AppFlowy Alternatives (Sliplane)sliplane.ionews
- AppFlowy Raises $6.4M in Seed Fundingfinsmes.comnews
- AppFlowy Details, Reviews, Pricing (CheckThat)checkthat.aireview
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