Can I open-source Craft?

YES · mature open-source replacement
price $10/moyou'd save $120/yrcategory 🧠 notes & knowledgereplaced by 0 people

Yes. AppFlowy (75k stars), AFFiNE (71k stars), Joplin (56k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Craft — self-host in one command and stop paying $10/mo.

why people still pay

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.

what you lose

xnative apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish

xfrictionless mobile capture

xreal-time team editing

xhosted publishing

xproprietary AI memory

the open-source alternatives

These projects already replace it, free.

AAppFlowyA portable document workspace that trades Craft's sheen for local control.75kjul 2026open source↗AAFFiNEDocs, whiteboards, and databases fused into one local-first workspace71kaug 2026open source↗JJoplinMarkdown note-taking app with E2E-encrypted sync across all platforms56kaug 2026open source↗

What each one is, in full: AppFlowy · AFFiNE · Joplin

all 7 open-source alternatives to Craft →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

share on X ↗"I just replaced Craft ($10/mo) with open source"
the numbers

Craft pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
starter$0/user$0/user1,500 content blocks; 1 GB storage; 25 MB/file; 7-day version history; 15 AI credits
plus$10/user$8/userUnlimited documents; 5 spaces; 1 TB/space; 5 GB/file; 30-day history; 50 AI credits/month
family$18$152–6 accounts total; 5 shared family spaces; each member gets Plus and 5 personal 1 TB spaces
team$60$50Up to 10 members; 25 shared team spaces; every member gets Plus and 5 personal 1 TB spaces
education$0/user$0/userEligible students/educators: unlimited documents; 5 spaces; 250 GB total; 1 GB/file; 15 lifetime AI credits
larger teamscustom—More than 10 members; custom seat/space terms

free tierStarter: 1,500 blocks, 1 GB storage, 25 MB/file, 7-day history and 15 AI credits

billingmonthly + annual; direct subscriptions have a 14-day refund window; App Store/Setapp terms differ

hidden costsFamily and Team are flat bundles with hard member ceilings (6 and 10 total). AI is credit-limited even on paid plans. Education requires yearly re-verification; larger teams need a quote.

verified 2026-08-13 · source ↗

questions
Can I open-source Craft?

Yes. AppFlowy replaces Craft today — self-host it on your own server or machine with no subscription. The full list of open-source alternatives is on this page.

How much does Craft cost?

Craft costs about $10/month (Plus, checked 2026-07-31), which is $120 per year. That's what you save by replacing it with open source.

What do I lose by replacing Craft?

Honestly: native apps, sync, publishing, collaboration, and strong block-editor polish; frictionless mobile capture; real-time team editing; hosted publishing; proprietary AI memory. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Craft?

Yes: AppFlowy (A portable document workspace that trades Craft's sheen for local control.) AFFiNE (Docs, whiteboards, and databases fused into one local-first workspace) Joplin (Markdown note-taking app with E2E-encrypted sync across all platforms) All 7 curated open-source alternatives are at caniopensourceit.online/craft/alternatives.