AFFiNE vs HelloNotes

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/

HelloNotes is a fast, private, local-first Markdown knowledge base for iPhone and iPad. Your notes are plain .md files in a folder you choose — no account, no lock-in, no cloud required. WRITE IN LIVE MARKDOWN • A native editor with live styling — headings, bold, lists, tables and syntax-highlighted code • LaTeX math ($…$ and $$…$$) and Mermaid diagrams rendered inline • Obsidian-style callouts, hidden comments, and a clean editor that tucks YAML front matter into an editable Properties panel CONNECT YOUR IDEAS • [[Wiki-links]] with autocomplete, including links straight to a heading • Backlinks and unlinked mentions, with one-click linking • #tags (nested) with autocomplete, searchable from the inspector • Note transclusion — embed a whole note or a single section • An interactive graph view of your whole vault FIND ANYTHING • Full-text search and "Open Quickly" across notes and headings • Bookmarks, daily notes and templates AI, ON YOUR TERMS • Summarise a note, suggest tags and links — powered by Apple Intelligence, entirely on your device • "Ask your library": answers grounded in your own notes, with citations • An agentic Assistant that can search, read, and (with your approval) edit notes • Bring your own model: fully local (Apple, MLX, Ollama, LM Studio) or your own cloud API key (Anthropic, Mistral, Gemini) On-device models send nothing off your device. Cloud providers are optional, off by default, and use your own key — note content goes only to the provider you configure. VERSION HISTORY WITH GIT • Built-in Git: initialise a repo, browse a note's history and restore earlier versions EXPORT & MORE • Export to HTML or PDF • Full light and dark support Your files stay yours — readable in any editor, syncable with any tool. HelloNotes just makes them a joy to think in. SUPPORTING HELLONOTES (OPTIONAL) HelloNotes is free and every feature is included. Nothing is locked, limited or time-trialled. Two entirely optional purchases live in Settings > Support, and neither unlocks anything: • Champion — a one-off contribution of A$50. You can give more than once; the app remembers how many times. • Commercial — an annual licence for using HelloNotes at work. A$50 per year, an auto-renewable subscription charged to your Apple Account on confirmation and renewing each year unless turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel it in Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hellotham.com/hellonotes/privacy