When people talk about replacing Notion, Obsidian is usually the first app that comes up. I tried it too, and while it’s an excellent note-taking app, it wasn’t the replacement I was actually looking for. I wanted something that felt closer to Notion while giving me complete control over where my data lived. That search eventually led me to AFFiNE. After using it for a while, I realized it offered a better balance between flexibility, ownership, and everyday usability for my workflow. AFFiNE has become my favorite Notion alternative, rather than the one most people expect.