Are Flowplan and AppFlowy both open source?

Yes, both are under the AGPL-3.0. All of Flowplan's source code is open – with no closed enterprise edition and no features behind a licence.

How much work is self-hosting Flowplan?

Flowplan is a single Docker container with SQLite – no Postgres, Redis or other services. One volume for the data is enough; S3 for backups is optional.

No. Flowplan runs in the browser on computers and phones, on iPhone and Android also as a web app with push. Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux are there as well.

Can I bring over my content from AppFlowy?

Yes. Export pages as Markdown and databases as CSV, put them into a ZIP and import it under Settings → Data.

An alternative to AppFlowy – open source too

AppFlowy and Flowplan are both under the AGPL-3.0. Flowplan focuses on the browser and simple operation: one Docker container with SQLite, plus whiteboards, a daily journal and hosting in Germany if you like.

Create an account Self-host Source code on GitHub

What both have in common

Open source under the AGPL-3.0
Documents made of blocks, with sub-pages
Databases with table, board and calendar views
Self-hostable

What Flowplan does its own way

Runs entirely in the browser – desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux are there as well
Databases also as list, gallery and timeline, with relations, rollups and formulas
One Docker container with SQLite – no Postgres, Redis or other services
Whiteboards with sticky notes, shapes and freehand drawing with pen pressure
A daily journal, with a PIN lock if you like
Search inside PDFs, Office files and scanned documents
Sign-in with password, passkeys or your single sign-on (OIDC)
Continuous backup to S3 – encrypted with your own key
Markdown export with frontmatter, scheduled and pushed to Git if you like
Claude, ChatGPT & co. via MCP – only with your permissions
Optional AI: off until you switch it on – completely local with Ollama or with your own key, and you decide which pages it may read
No tracking

Moving from AppFlowy

In AppFlowy: export pages as Markdown and databases as CSV and put them into one ZIP (folders become sub-pages).
In Flowplan: Settings → Data → import the ZIP and choose the space it goes into.
Markdown becomes pages, CSV becomes databases; linked images and files are uploaded along.

Up to 100 MB, 500 pages and 5,000 records per table per import. Step-by-step guide

Completely open source – under the AGPL-3.0

All of Flowplan's source code is on GitHub under the GNU Affero General Public License 3.0. There is no closed enterprise edition and no feature that needs a licence key. You may use, change and run Flowplan yourself – for you, your team or your company. If you offer a changed version to others over a network, you publish your changes under the AGPL-3.0 as well. Licence text

Frequently asked questions

Are Flowplan and AppFlowy both open source?: Yes, both are under the AGPL-3.0. All of Flowplan's source code is open – with no closed enterprise edition and no features behind a licence.
How much work is self-hosting Flowplan?: Flowplan is a single Docker container with SQLite – no Postgres, Redis or other services. One volume for the data is enough; S3 for backups is optional.
Do I need an app?: No. Flowplan runs in the browser on computers and phones, on iPhone and Android also as a web app with push. Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux are there as well.
Can I bring over my content from AppFlowy?: Yes. Export pages as Markdown and databases as CSV, put them into a ZIP and import it under Settings → Data.

The open-source alternative to Notion Documentation