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[GH-ISSUE #3516] [Bug] Appflowy is so limited #1590

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opened 2026-03-23 20:51:23 +00:00 by mirror · 10 comments

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:23 +00:00

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Originally created by @Maniues on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/issues/3516

Bug Description

Hi. I know that the problem is probably trivial.

I wanted to start using Appflowy because it is 100% open source and packed with features. However, when I launched the application, it turned out that it was a very poor notebook. I can't even make a separate section, let alone all the other features like connecting to the cloud, etc. Interestingly, the older version 0.1.* had more features.

Am I doing something wrong? I don't believe the new version is so poor when the old one is so much better.

How to Reproduce

Download AppFlowy from GH Releases and run

Expected Behavior

Have all expected features, not only markdown editor with database.

Operating System

Tested on Linux Mint and Windows

AppFlowy Version(s)

Tested on 0.2.9 - 0.3.2

Screenshots

No response

Additional Context

No response

Originally created by @Maniues on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/issues/3516 ### Bug Description Hi. I know that the problem is probably trivial. I wanted to start using Appflowy because it is 100% open source and packed with features. However, when I launched the application, it turned out that it was a very poor notebook. I can't even make a separate section, let alone all the other features like connecting to the cloud, etc. Interestingly, the older version 0.1.* had more features. Am I doing something wrong? I don't believe the new version is so poor when the old one is so much better. ### How to Reproduce Download AppFlowy from GH Releases and run ### Expected Behavior Have all expected features, not only markdown editor with database. ### Operating System Tested on Linux Mint and Windows ### AppFlowy Version(s) Tested on 0.2.9 - 0.3.2 ### Screenshots _No response_ ### Additional Context _No response_

mirror closed this issue

2026-03-23 20:51:23 +00:00

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:24 +00:00

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@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Hi @Maniues , could you take some screenshots showcasing where you consider AppFlowy a poor notebook?
And I have to know what features you used in v0.1.* are not available in v0.2.*?

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Hi @Maniues , could you take some screenshots showcasing where you consider AppFlowy a poor notebook? And I have to know what features you used in v0.1.* are not available in v0.2.*?

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:24 +00:00

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@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

There is no option to make a section (new page = subpage of "Personal", not section) (according to this image in repo)

I can't create new folder/open existing:

I can't use Appflowy Cloud like in your docs: https://docs.appflowy.io/docs/essential-documentation/appflowy-cloud

I had 0.1.* version in my computer (unused) and it was working with some of these features, but it wasn't my main notebook.

@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): There is no option to make a section (new page = subpage of "Personal", not section) (according to [this image in repo](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/12026239/236664610-fc209a97-815e-4716-af07-d94a859d1907.png)) ![af-s1](https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/assets/66561397/f23f1190-d750-4a42-b9f4-716b8b34638e) I can't create new folder/open existing: ![af-s2](https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/assets/66561397/10d25216-940e-4a8e-a6bf-0bc736905126) I can't use Appflowy Cloud like in your docs: https://docs.appflowy.io/docs/essential-documentation/appflowy-cloud I had 0.1.* version in my computer (unused) and it was working with some of these features, but it wasn't my main notebook.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:24 +00:00

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@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

You can treat parent pages as sections and add subpages to each section

We also allow you to create multiple workspaces, simply by changing your file path:

AppFlowy Cloud is on a private beta mode. You need to sign up for it to get access: https://survey.appflowy.io/private-beta

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): You can treat parent pages as sections and add subpages to each section <img width="398" alt="image" src="https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/assets/12026239/f9c78a5e-7b7c-4c40-b94b-41b3837ee5f2"> We also allow you to create multiple workspaces, simply by changing your file path: <img width="776" alt="image" src="https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy/assets/12026239/a0248e2b-a890-43c0-b6f6-e52723220301"> AppFlowy Cloud is on a private beta mode. You need to sign up for it to get access: https://survey.appflowy.io/private-beta

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:24 +00:00

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@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Okay thanks for explaining this.

About cloud:
Need I to apply to beta? I saw Appflowy can be hosted on Supabase, so can't I do it myself instead of private beta?

@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Okay thanks for explaining this. About cloud: Need I to apply to beta? I saw Appflowy can be hosted on Supabase, so can't I do it myself instead of private beta?

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:25 +00:00

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@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Of course. You can follow this guide to self host AppFlowy with Supabase.
We will soon support self-hosting with Docker.

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Of course. You can follow [this guide](https://docs.appflowy.io/docs/essential-documentation/appflowy-with-supabase) to self host AppFlowy with Supabase. We will soon support self-hosting with Docker.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:25 +00:00

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@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Thank you for clarifying this.

To be honest, at first I thought that you wrapped AppFlowy in an Open Core package instead of full Open Source and that's the result, but I see that I was wrong and that's a good thing.

I have a question that may be a bit off-topic, but still somewhat valid for the reasons mentioned above: Will AppFlowy remain Open Source in the long term and will not turn into Open Core or proprietary software? Unfortunately, most Open Source notetaking applications end up like this (see Joplin, Standard Notes, and others), and I want to invest my time in software that won't just disappear.

I know this topic came up on your Roadmap, when one feature was supposed to be closed-source but ended up not being implemented.
You then said that some features cannot be "free" because they are too large. Did the "free" refer to the fact that they would be paid or did it refer to the source code? Will these paid features (in the future) be Open Source and available source code on AGPL or something else? This would make sense, because then a user who really needs them, e.g. locally, can self-host these functions, and users who are unable to do so can pay you for it.

I would like to know your opinion on this topic, because, as I said, many applications of this type ended this way, and AppFlowy seems to be a great alternative for them, and it would be a pity if it ended in the same place.

@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Thank you for clarifying this. To be honest, at first I thought that you wrapped AppFlowy in an Open Core package instead of full Open Source and that's the result, but I see that I was wrong and that's a good thing. I have a question that may be a bit off-topic, but still somewhat valid for the reasons mentioned above: Will AppFlowy remain Open Source in the long term and will not turn into Open Core or proprietary software? Unfortunately, most Open Source notetaking applications end up like this (see Joplin, Standard Notes, and others), and I want to invest my time in software that won't just disappear. I know this topic came up on your Roadmap, when one feature was supposed to be closed-source but ended up not being implemented. You then said that some features cannot be "free" because they are too large. Did the "free" refer to the fact that they would be paid or did it refer to the source code? Will these paid features (in the future) be Open Source and available source code on AGPL or something else? This would make sense, because then a user who really needs them, e.g. locally, can self-host these functions, and users who are unable to do so can pay you for it. I would like to know your opinion on this topic, because, as I said, many applications of this type ended this way, and AppFlowy seems to be a great alternative for them, and it would be a pity if it ended in the same place.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:25 +00:00

Author

Owner

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

AppFlowy is 100% open source licensed under AGPL
We don't have a plan to build closed-source features for now, although we have a plan to include paid features such as more storage and faster image/file uploads in our cloud service. That said, it's free for you to self host AppFlowy.

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): AppFlowy is 100% open source licensed under AGPL We don't have a plan to build closed-source features for now, although we have a plan to include paid features such as more storage and faster image/file uploads in our cloud service. That said, it's free for you to self host AppFlowy.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:25 +00:00

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Owner

@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Thank you for this answer.
I hope it stays that way.

However, as a last resort, if you would have to implement any closed-source functions in the future, I recommend doing it using plugins, i.e. plugins with very advanced functions would be closed-source or as done by the creators of Wordpress plugins (the community version is AGPL and the additional functions are paid). But Wordpress does not have CLA, which is its advantage and it shapes the plug-in business model a bit.

@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Thank you for this answer. I hope it stays that way. However, as a last resort, if you would have to implement any closed-source functions in the future, I recommend doing it using plugins, i.e. plugins with very advanced functions would be closed-source or as done by the creators of Wordpress plugins (the community version is AGPL and the additional functions are paid). But Wordpress does not have CLA, which is its advantage and it shapes the plug-in business model a bit.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:26 +00:00

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@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Thanks @Maniues , very much appreciate your questions and suggestions.
We're on our way to creating a plugin marketplace where, hopefully, some plugin creators can be rewarded for their efforts. Wordpress is a great example from which we can draw inspiration.
If you have any questions or feedback for us, please don't hesitate to share. Look forward to seeing you around in the community.

@annieappflowy commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Thanks @Maniues , very much appreciate your questions and suggestions. We're on our way to creating a plugin marketplace where, hopefully, some plugin creators can be rewarded for their efforts. Wordpress is a great example from which we can draw inspiration. If you have any questions or feedback for us, please don't hesitate to share. Look forward to seeing you around in the community.

mirror commented

2026-03-23 20:51:26 +00:00

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@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023):

Thank you for clarifying the issue in the thread.
I also hope to have the opportunity to help develop AppFlowy.

Since the problem is solved, I am closing the thread.

@Maniues commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2023): Thank you for clarifying the issue in the thread. I also hope to have the opportunity to help develop AppFlowy. Since the problem is solved, I am closing the thread.

mirror referenced this issue

2026-03-23 22:16:03 +00:00

[PR #1590] [MERGED] chore: update text for folder storage #4837