Comparison

AFFiNE vs WhileHere

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

Head to head
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/

About

WhileHere

Read full description

WhileHere reminds you about tasks based on where you are — not what time it is. Create a task like "buy groceries," and WhileHere finds matching places near you and suggests them on the map. Pick your spots, set a radius, and forget about it. When you reach one of those places, your reminder appears — right when you can actually act on it. LEAVE-BASED REMINDERS Some tasks can't be done until you leave. Choose "When I leave" and your current location becomes the leave place — give it a name like "Apartment" if you like, and set how far you need to move away before it triggers. The moment you leave, you're notified that your reminder is set and your task places activate automatically. Arrive at one and your reminder appears. Leave home, remember the groceries, buy them on the way. WHY WHILEHERE • Remind by place • Smart place suggestions from your task title • Multiple places per task — whichever you reach first reminds you • Adjustable radius for every reminder • Track each leave task's progress: waiting to leave, on the way, done • Remind Later and Mark Done right from the notification • Works in the background ON YOUR DEVICE, ONLY Your tasks and places stay on your device. No account, no feed, no sharing. Location is used only to trigger your own reminders. Stop forgetting the task you drove right past. Put the reminder where the task is.

Screenshots

AFFiNE4 screens
WhileHere4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WhileHere at none against AFFiNE's 3. WhileHere also leads on ads (none vs shown). AFFiNE's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (16.5 vs 18.0). On price and device support 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. AFFiNE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. WhileHere asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, WhileHere every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
AFFiNE versus WhileHere: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAFFiNEWhileHere
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (32 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings32 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size239 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToEverythingAnand Kumar

In-app purchases

3 purchases

AFFiNE

Subscriptions3
  • AFFiNE Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • AFFiNE Pro Yearly$81.001 Year
  • AFFiNE AI Yearly$106.991 Year
None

WhileHere

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AFFiNE free?
AFFiNE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WhileHere free?
WhileHere is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AFFiNE or WhileHere have ads?
AFFiNE shows ads; WhileHere does not.
Which is updated more often, AFFiNE or WhileHere?
AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, and WhileHere every 5 months. Most recently, AFFiNE was updated on October 10, 2026 and WhileHere on October 6, 2026.

Other comparisons