Comparison

Anytype vs AFFiNE

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Anytype

This app unifies conversations, documents, notes, files, and databases into a single, private application. It offers powerful, local-first collaboration with end-to-end encryption, offline access, and secure cross-device syncing, ensuring your data always remains yours.

Highlights
  • Unified workspace for conversations, docs, notes, files, and databases
  • End-to-end encrypted and offline accessible
  • Local-first collaboration
  • Create and edit pages with blocks
  • Define custom content types
  • Publish content to the web
  • Manage lists and tasks with properties
Features
Read full description

Anytype is a private, offline-first workspace for notes, docs, tasks, and team collaboration — end-to-end encrypted, with your data stored on your device. No accounts mining your thoughts, no cloud lock-in. A safe haven for your digital life. Flexible Knowledge Anytype adapts to the way your brain works, allowing you to link anything to everything. Create a living map of your ideas. • Capture & Reflect: Rich-media notes, long-form docs, and daily journals. • Plan & Execute: Tasks and projects in Kanban boards, calendars, galleries, and filtered lists. • Organize & Archive: Build personal wikis, research databases, or curated bookmark libraries. Secure Collaboration Collaborate in real-time without surrendering your privacy. You can work offline, sync peer-to-peer, or run entirely on your own network. • Private Collaboration: Shared spaces for teams and family to work together. • Integrated Chat: Chat with friends or have discussions directly on documents. • Share Online: Web publish content so others can access it directly in the browser. Uncompromising Security & Privacy • End-to-End Encrypted: Only you and those you share with can access your data. No exceptions. • Works Offline: No internet? No problem. Access everything offline, use peer-to-peer sync, or run on your own network. • Open Source: Keep your software forever or take your data with you. Zero lock-in. Also available on desktop at anytype.io Anytype — a safe haven for your thoughts, your work, and the people you collaborate with.

About

AFFiNE

This app combines an infinite whiteboard with notes, documents, and tasks, enhanced by AI. Effortlessly convert visual ideas into text and manage all your projects in one unified workspace. It's designed for visual thinkers and teams to streamline workflows and organize information effectively.

Highlights
  • Infinite whiteboard for visual brainstorming
  • Convert sketches to organized notes/documents
  • All-in-one project, task, and document management
  • AI assistance for writing, summarizing, and answering
  • Real-time collaboration on docs and whiteboards
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

AFFiNE is an open-source, local-first workspace for notes, docs, whiteboards, tasks, knowledge bases, Markdown, and AI. Built in public and trusted by a global open-source community with around 70K GitHub stars and more than 7 million downloads, AFFiNE gives you one place to write, draw, plan, organize knowledge, and keep control of your work. Whether you're capturing personal ideas, organizing class notes, planning a project with a team, building a second brain, or mapping a complex workflow, AFFiNE helps you move from scattered thoughts to structured work without switching between separate note, whiteboard, and task apps. WHY AFFiNE? OPEN-SOURCE AND LOCAL-FIRST AFFiNE started as an open-source project and continues to focus on transparent, user-owned knowledge work. - Work with a product built around openness and data control - Use local-first workflows for personal knowledge and project planning - Choose AFFiNE Cloud or self-hosted workflows for your workspace - Keep Markdown and portability at the center of your writing system NOTES & DOCS Write everything from quick notes to long-form documents. - Capture ideas, journals, meeting notes, class notes, and project plans - Structure information with flexible blocks and connected pages - Use Markdown for clear, portable writing - Turn rough thoughts into organized documents with AI WHITEBOARDS & VISUAL THINKING Switch from structured documents to an infinite canvas whenever ideas need space. - Create mind maps, diagrams, visual notes, and brainstorming boards - Plan product ideas, research flows, study maps, or team workflows - Connect visual thinking with written notes instead of keeping them in separate tools TASKS & PROJECTS Bring planning and execution into the same workspace. - Track to-dos, project notes, decisions, and next steps - Keep tasks close to the documents and whiteboards that explain the work - Organize personal workflows, student projects, creator work, and team planning AI FOR KNOWLEDGE WORK Use AI to help you write, summarize, and structure ideas. - Draft notes and documents faster - Summarize messy information into clearer outlines - Turn brainstorming into structured next steps - Use AI inside the workspace where your context already lives FOR PERSONAL USE AFFiNE works for notes, journals, study planning, research, reading lists, personal knowledge management, and second-brain workflows. FOR TEAMS AND SELF-HOSTED WORKFLOWS Use AFFiNE for shared project knowledge, planning, docs, visual collaboration, and self-hosted workspace needs. SYNC ACROSS DEVICES Keep working across iPhone, iPad, desktop, and web. Start with a thought on mobile, expand it on a canvas, and turn it into organized knowledge when you're back at your desk. AFFiNE is for people who want the flexibility of documents, the freedom of a whiteboard, the structure of tasks, and the trust of open-source software in one workspace. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Anytype4 screens
AFFiNE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Anytype at none against AFFiNE's shown. Anytype also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 42%) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Anytype sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and AFFiNE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Anytype holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Anytype has 252 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Anytype's written reviews are positive against 42% of AFFiNE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Anytype ships an update fortnightly, AFFiNE every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Anytype versus AFFiNE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnytypeAFFiNE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (252 ratings) — better4.3 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews — better42.3% of reviews
Number of ratings252 — better36
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size274 MB239 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAny AssociationToEverything

Customer experience

Anytype

All ratings245 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral13.8%
Negative22.5%

AFFiNE

All ratings32 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral15.6%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive42.3%
Neutral30.8%
Negative26.9%

Bugs and requests

Anytype

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes and freezes on certain devices
  • Sync issues leading to data loss or duplication
  • Inconsistent behavior when working with nested lists
  • Page jumps and cursor positioning problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add calendar and scheduling features
  • Improve mobile app performance and stability
  • Implement formulas and automation capabilities
  • Allow more customization options for fonts and UI
  • Add widgets for quick access to notes and data

AFFiNE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Anytype

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$9.991 Month
  • Builder$119.001 Year
3 purchases

AFFiNE

Subscriptions3
  • AFFiNE Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • AFFiNE Pro Yearly$81.001 Year
  • AFFiNE AI Yearly$106.991 Year

Questions

Is Anytype free?
Anytype is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AFFiNE free?
AFFiNE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Anytype or AFFiNE?
Anytype is rated higher. Anytype averages 4.5 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while AFFiNE averages 4.3 from 36 ratings.
Do Anytype or AFFiNE have ads?
AFFiNE shows ads; Anytype does not.
Which is updated more often, Anytype or AFFiNE?
Anytype ships an update fortnightly, and AFFiNE every 3 weeks. Most recently, Anytype was updated on October 30, 2026 and AFFiNE on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons