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Comparison · Collab

Memos vs AFFiNE

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Memos and AFFiNE — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hostedcollaboration

Memos vs AFFiNE: at a glance

FeatureMemosAFFiNE
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score3.85.0
Sparks · 30d10
Top themesself-hosted, collaboration, spaces, mcpknowledge-management, ios-client, self-hosted, collaboration
Last editorial update17d ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Memos?

Memos adds collaborative Spaces without handing administrators the keys to everyone's notes.

Memos is a self-hosted memo archive that has spent three release candidates rebuilding its foundations rather than its surface. 0.27 embedded an MCP server in the instance, 0.30 flipped undeclared instances to private mode and regenerated that MCP surface from the OpenAPI schema, and 0.31.0-rc.1 now introduces first-class Spaces with ADMIN and USER memberships. The ownership model was rewritten alongside it: instance administrators are no longer implicit collaborators on other people's memos.

Read the full Memos trajectory →

What is AFFiNE?

AFFiNE ships stable iOS Share Extension imports while patching editor correctness and selfhost deployment

AFFiNE is releasing daily canary builds that advance the iOS client (Share Extension now stable, share-to-support in prior weeks) alongside editor reliability fixes — heading preservation in readonly mode and priority queue correctness in the block editor. Selfhost deployment is also receiving correctness fixes, indicating the self-hosted user base is growing.

Read the full AFFiNE trajectory →

Memos vs AFFiNE: editorial side-by-side

M
Memos
COLLAB
3.8

Memos adds collaborative Spaces without handing administrators the keys to everyone's notes.

◆ Current state

Memos is a self-hosted memo archive that has spent three release candidates rebuilding its foundations rather than its surface. 0.27 embedded an MCP server in the instance, 0.30 flipped undeclared instances to private mode and regenerated that MCP surface from the OpenAPI schema, and 0.31.0-rc.1 now introduces first-class Spaces with ADMIN and USER memberships. The ownership model was rewritten alongside it: instance administrators are no longer implicit collaborators on other people's memos.

◆ Where it's heading

The direction runs from one person's notebook toward shared, agent-addressable infrastructure, and the order matters — access control and a stable API surface landed before multi-user sharing did. Each candidate has carried its breaking changes rather than deferring them: Shortcuts became Saved Views across the API, MCP tools and web routes, reactions lost content_id, S3 attachments stopped returning presigned URLs, and the Explore and per-user RSS feeds now return 404. Memos is willing to spend client compatibility to keep the data model coherent.

◆ Prediction

Expect 0.31 to reach a stable release with migration guidance for the Saved Views rename, and for Space scoping to extend next to the surfaces the notes say stay global — Archived, Inbox, profiles and Settings.

A
AFFiNE
COLLAB
5.0

AFFiNE ships stable iOS Share Extension imports while patching editor correctness and selfhost deployment

◆ Current state

AFFiNE is releasing daily canary builds that advance the iOS client (Share Extension now stable, share-to-support in prior weeks) alongside editor reliability fixes — heading preservation in readonly mode and priority queue correctness in the block editor. Selfhost deployment is also receiving correctness fixes, indicating the self-hosted user base is growing.

◆ Where it's heading

The consistent mobile investment suggests AFFiNE is treating iOS as a primary platform, not a secondary one. The canary cadence will harden into stable releases as mobile features reach parity; the selfhost fixes indicate a parallel push toward enterprise self-deployment alongside the consumer cloud offering.

◆ Prediction

The next stable release will consolidate iOS Share Extension improvements; given the concurrent account-switching work, a meaningful update to multi-account or team collaboration workflows seems likely.

Alternatives to Memos and AFFiNE

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Memos or AFFiNE.

See all Memos alternatives → · See all AFFiNE alternatives →

Recent activity from Memos and AFFiNE

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoAFFiNEAFFiNE iOS Share Extension moves to stable
  2. 3d agoAFFiNE2026.9.13-canary.928
  3. 6d agoAFFiNE2026.9.10-canary.909
  4. 7d agoAFFiNE2026.9.9-canary.909
  5. 8d agoAFFiNE2026.9.8-canary.909
  6. 10d agoAFFiNE2026.9.6-canary.907
  7. 17d agoMemosCollaborative Spaces, author-owned memos, and Saved Views
  8. 1mo agoMemosEmbedded MCP endpoint, live SSE updates, and revocable share links
  9. 1mo agoMemosMemos Web Clipper and a redesigned memo detail rail
  10. 2mo agoMemosPrivate by default, CEL time filters, and a stateless MCP endpoint
  11. 5mo agoMemosMentions, voice recording, and Live Photo attachments

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Memos and AFFiNE?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted, collaboration — within Collab. AFFiNE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 3.8), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Memos better than AFFiNE?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. AFFiNE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 3.8), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Memos?

Top Memos alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Memos alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/memos for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to AFFiNE?

Top AFFiNE alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "AFFiNE alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/affine for the full list with editorial commentary on each.