Comparison

AFFiNE vs Stiple Mapdesk

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

Stiple Mapdesk

Features
Read full description

Mapdesk turns your iPhone or iPad into a field surveying controller. Connect an RTK rover over Bluetooth, stream NTRIP corrections, and capture survey points with live accuracy feedback — no laptop, no clipboard. CAPTURE • Point capture with live RTK status and accuracy readout • Averaging profiles — Quick, Standard, and Precise occupations • Live motion indicator shows when you're stable enough to log • Full point metadata: rover, antenna height, base, and timestamp STAKE OUT • Pick any point and navigate back to it in the field • Precision loupe for selecting points on dense maps ORGANIZE • Projects on a map — find your sites at a glance • Layers with per-layer colors and marker shapes • Geometry-aware feature info for points, lines, and polygons HARDWARE • Bluetooth rover connection with antenna height management • Tap-to-connect with NFC tags (iPhone) • Base station setup with mountpoint selection and known-point calibration Captures sync to your Stiple workspace, so field data lands where the rest of your team works.

Screenshots

AFFiNE4 screens
Stiple Mapdesk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stiple Mapdesk at none against AFFiNE's 3. Stiple Mapdesk also leads on ads (none vs shown). AFFiNE's advantage is iOS requirement (16.5 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence 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. Stiple Mapdesk asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, Stiple Mapdesk every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
AFFiNE versus Stiple Mapdesk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAFFiNEStiple Mapdesk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (36 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings36 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size239 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToEverythingStiple Incorporated

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

Stiple Mapdesk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AFFiNE free?
AFFiNE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stiple Mapdesk free?
Stiple Mapdesk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AFFiNE or Stiple Mapdesk have ads?
AFFiNE shows ads; Stiple Mapdesk does not.
Which is updated more often, AFFiNE or Stiple Mapdesk?
AFFiNE ships an update every 3 weeks, and Stiple Mapdesk every 4 weeks. Most recently, AFFiNE was updated on October 24, 2026 and Stiple Mapdesk on October 28, 2026.

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