Links checked 2026-10-14
Self-hosting AFFiNE
The self-hosted route instead of Notion.
The docs' separate requirements, storage, Redis, backup and monitoring pages are the honest measure: this is a small platform to operate, not an app to install.
What it is
A workspace that mixes documents, a whiteboard and databases in one place, with real-time collaboration. It runs as a desktop app, in a browser, or on your own server, and the project's documentation has a full self-hosting section rather than a single page.
What you actually need
This is the reader's own hardware and configuration, not a price. We describe what a job needs; we do not put a figure on what self-hosting costs, because that depends on the provider, the term and the disk you choose.
- The server
- A VPS that can hold several services at once. The documentation separates requirements, deployment, storage, Redis and monitoring, which is a fair indication of the moving parts.
- How it installs
- Docker Compose, which the project's docs mark as the recommended path.
- Data store
- PostgreSQL, with Redis documented alongside it.
- What grows
- Workspace blobs live in file or object storage and grow with every embedded image and attachment. The docs give storage and backup their own pages.
Before it is safe to expose
- A domain with HTTPS, since the docs cover domain and certificate configuration
- An SMTP relay if you want the notification emails the docs describe
- A tested restore, because a workspace is a database plus a storage bucket and both have to come back together
The trade-offs, specifically for AFFiNE
- This is a multi-service stack — application, PostgreSQL, Redis and storage — not a single container.
- The project's docs keep separate pages for storage, Redis, backup and monitoring because each one is a thing that can break on its own.
- Real-time collaboration and the indexer are the parts you will notice first when the hardware is too small.
- Upgrades track releases with their own page in the docs, and a workspace carried across a schema change without testing is a risk you are taking.
And the six things you own from now on
These are true of every tool in this section, including AFFiNE. They are also the reason to decide against self-hosting, which is a legitimate decision.
- You own the updates. Security releases have to be applied by you, on your schedule, and a project that stops publishing releases becomes your problem to notice.
- You own the backups, and a backup is not a backup until you have restored from it once.
- You own the uptime. There is no status page to watch and no support line to call when it stops answering.
- You own the security patches, the TLS certificate, the reverse proxy and the firewall in front of it.
- You are the on-call rota. The failure mode nobody plans for is being the only person who knows how the thing was set up.
- The hardware has a running cost and a lifetime. Disks fail, and the replacement is on you.
What you give up
- The hosted product's managed sync, storage and upgrades
- Whatever the vendor bundles around the application itself
What you gain
- Workspace content stays on your server
- No per-seat subscription from the vendor
Elsewhere in the index
The box it runs on
A VPS that can hold several services at once. The documentation separates requirements, deployment, storage, Redis and monitoring, which is a fair indication of the moving parts. That machine is the purchase this page is really about, and it is the one number we will not invent for you: the right size depends on the provider, the term and the disk, so check it on the provider's own page.
Hostinger
Hostinger's VPS product is the closest fit to a self-hosted application: its own page advertises root access, Docker and NVMe storage, with data centres in several regions.
See Hostinger's plansRead Hostinger's published pricing ↗DigitalOcean
Virtual machines billed as you use them, with separate volumes, snapshots and object storage for the parts you want to keep outside the server.
See DigitalOcean's plansRead DigitalOcean's published pricing ↗Hetzner
Cloud instances and dedicated servers with rates published per instance size, so the cost of a bigger box is visible before you move.
See Hetzner's plansRead Hetzner's published pricing ↗What to check before you buy
- A virtual machine you have root on, not a website plan with a control panel bolted on top.
- Snapshots or automated backups, and where those backups are stored.
- Block storage or object storage for the data that will outgrow the server's own disk.
- What the monthly rate renews at, rather than the first-term rate on the signup page.
- Where the data centre is, if the data has a jurisdiction attached to it.
The “See plans” links go through our own /go/ redirect and some are affiliate links, which pay us if you sign up. The descriptions and trade-offs on this page are written from the project's own documentation and are unaffected. The plain pricing link under each provider is not an affiliate link. See our disclosure.
Frequently asked questions about self-hosting AFFiNE
Answers restate the notes on this page or point at the project's own documentation. Self-hosting moves work to you rather than removing it, and these answers say so.
What is AFFiNE?
A workspace that mixes documents, a whiteboard and databases in one place, with real-time collaboration. We cover it as a replacement for Notion.
What do you need to run AFFiNE yourself?
Docker Compose, which the project's docs mark as the recommended path. The requirements table on this page lists the server, the data store, what grows and what else to arrange first. Setup steps are at AFFiNE's self-hosting documentation.
How hard is AFFiNE to run yourself?
We rate it Involved. The docs' separate requirements, storage, Redis, backup and monitoring pages are the honest measure: this is a small platform to operate, not an app to install.
What are the trade-offs of self-hosting AFFiNE?
Our notes list these costs. This is a multi-service stack — application, PostgreSQL, Redis and storage — not a single container. The project's docs keep separate pages for storage, Redis, backup and monitoring because each one is a thing that can break on its own.
What do you give up by running AFFiNE yourself?
You take on what Notion used to do for you. The hosted product's managed sync, storage and upgrades. Whatever the vendor bundles around the application itself. Self-hosting moves that work to you rather than removing it.
What do you gain by running AFFiNE yourself?
Our notes list these. Workspace content stays on your server. No per-seat subscription from the vendor.