Craft alternatives: 3 free & open-source picks
Compare recorded free and open-source options, their capabilities and operating requirements. Source dates are shown below; licenses, hosted limits and project activity can change.
A portable document workspace that trades Craft's sheen for local control.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installInstall a native desktop/mobile app or use AppFlowy Web/Cloud; self-hosting deploys the AppFlowy Cloud Docker stack and points the clients at it
enginesHosted plans expose managed models such as GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet; local/on-prem use can connect Ollama, LM Studio, or another self-hosted LLM
dataOffline work remains in the device's local AppFlowy store; AppFlowy Cloud syncs it to AppFlowy's service, while the self-hosted stack persists workspace/auth data in PostgreSQL, cache/queues in Redis, and uploads in MinIO or another S3-compatible object store
the catch vs CraftIt provides local control and structured documents, but Craft's visual layouts, presentation quality, publishing, and collaboration remain more polished.
setupLocal offline use installs cleanly, but self-hosted sync is a multi-container deployment with PostgreSQL, Redis, GoTrue authentication, object storage, mail/auth secrets, migrations, and client URL configuration
facts verified 2026-08-14
Polished documents, links and canvases, with local workspaces and usable exports.
licenseMIT AND MPL-2.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installUse AFFiNE Cloud or install the desktop app; self-hosted collaboration uses the official Docker Compose stack with AFFiNE, PostgreSQL, and Redis
enginesAFFiNE AI supports bring-your-own-key routes for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and FAL; local storage is available in the desktop app, while self-host AI is configured server-side
dataA local-only desktop workspace stays on that device; AFFiNE Cloud stores it in AFFiNE's service, while self-hosted workspaces use PostgreSQL for structured data, mounted blob storage for uploads, Redis for cache, and local configuration files
the catch vs CraftIt approaches Craft's documents and canvases, but typography, sharing, publishing, export consistency, and collaborative polish are less mature.
setupThe desktop app is straightforward, but free self-hosted sync and collaboration require Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, persistent volumes, configuration, migrations, backups, and a correctly exposed server URL
facts verified 2026-08-14
Linked documents in ordinary Markdown; beautiful publishing is your own department.
licenseproprietary, free
runson your machine
installInstall the native Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android app; no account is required for local use
dataOrdinary Markdown files and attachments in a user-chosen local vault folder, with app settings and plugins under `.obsidian`; optional paid Obsidian Sync stores end-to-end-encrypted replicas in Obsidian's cloud
setup✓ installs clean
the catch vs CraftIt makes a wonderfully portable linked library, but it lacks Craft's visual block layouts, effortless beautiful documents, and integrated publishing experience.
facts verified 2026-08-14
latest recorded source check 2026-08-14 · check current terms at the source
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AppFlowy | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | web, macos, windows, linux, ios, android, self-hosted | 74,999 | 2026-07 |
| AFFiNE | MIT AND MPL-2.0 | one-click install | web, macos, windows, linux, ios, android, self-hosted | — | — |
| Obsidian | proprietary, free | one-click install | macos, windows, linux, ios, android | — | — |
People still pay for Craft because people keep paying when the note system is trusted across every device and disappears into their daily capture habits. The recurring cost buys file watching, conflict handling, indexing, mobile apps, encryption, backups, and migrations, not just the visible interface. The recorded subscription totals $120 a year before any costs of an alternative.
Questions about these alternatives
Is there a free alternative to Craft?
Yes: AppFlowy, AFFiNE, Obsidian. These are recorded free or open-source options. Compare their feature limits, licenses, hosting costs and current availability before choosing.
Should I just build my own Craft?
Our verdict is KINDA. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Craft, write visually polished documents, link them, and export a portable personal library. The hard boundary is native apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish, plus sync, collaboration, and capture polish. Review the scope, implementation prompt and trade-offs in the Craft build guide.
