I need help finding a good alternative to Notion for organizing my documentation. I’ve been using Notion for a while and really love how easy it is to move blocks around by dragging them and copying content between sections.
My main use case is documenting my homelab setup, keeping track of automation scripts running on cloud functions, database configurations, backup procedures, and deployment guides for various services.
I tried using Outline as a replacement and it works decently. The interface is clean and simple, though it doesn’t have all the block manipulation features that Notion offers. One issue I ran into was the authentication setup - there’s no built-in user management so I had to configure Google OAuth for the initial admin setup.
I also looked at Obsidian but didn’t like that I’d need a separate syncing solution to access my notes from different devices. Docmost was another option I tested previously but I remember it being quite limited in terms of formatting options and functionality.
Now I’m thinking about trying AppFlowy, SiYuan, or AFFiNE. I heard SiYuan has some premium features behind a paywall, particularly the sync functionality. As for AFFiNE, I’m curious how it compares to Outline, though I’m not sure about the whiteboard interface.
What would you recommend based on your experience with these tools?
SiYuan’s been great for my homelab docs since I ditched Notion last year. The block reference system is perfect for technical stuff - I can reference database configs or scripts across pages without copying everything. Yeah, sync costs money but it’s worth it if you use multiple devices. Your sensitive homelab data stays local and under your control, which mattered to me. Way faster than Notion with large technical docs. There’s a learning curve but once you get bidirectional linking, organizing complex infrastructure docs makes way more sense. Free tier works fine if you stick to local storage.
Been there, done that search. Tried everything you mentioned and landed on AppFlowy. Block manipulation isn’t as smooth as Notion yet, but updates keep improving it. What hooked me? Offline-first design means no sync nightmares like Obsidian gives you. For homelab docs, it handles code blocks and technical stuff pretty well. Database features can’t match Notion, but they work fine for tracking configs and procedures. Setup was easy and it runs way faster than Notion, especially with big documents. Just know AppFlowy’s still under heavy development - expect some bumps. I’ve had a few crashes but never lost data. Mobile app is pretty bare-bones compared to Notion if you need that.
skip affine - it’s still buggy. siyuan works well but sync gets expensive across multiple devices. try logseq instead. it’s like obsidian with better sync and block-based editing that’ll feel natural if you’re used to notion.