SiYuan icon
SiYuan icon

SiYuan

SiYuan is a desktop Markdown Block-Reference and Bidirectional-Link note-taking application. Support fine-grained block-level reference and Markdown WYSIWYG.

SiYuan screenshot 1

Cost / License

  • Freemium (Pay once)
  • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

Application type

Platforms

  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Android
  • iPhone
  • Android Tablet
  • iPad
  • Self-Hosted
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Google Chrome
  • Flathub
  • Docker
  • Docker Hub
  • F-Droid
Block editing
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SiYuan alternatives  
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129alternatives
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Features

Properties

  1.  Privacy focused
  2.  Lightweight
  3.  Support for Themes
  4.  Customizable

Features

  1.  Local Storage
  2.  Block reference
  3.  Bidirectional links
  4.  WYSIWYG Support
  5.  Graph view
  6.  Works Offline
  7.  Web Clipper
  8.  Support for MarkDown
  9.  Multiplatform
  10.  End-to-End Encryption
  11. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
  12.  Tagging
  13.  No registration required
  14.  Cloud Sync
  15.  Personal Information Manager (PIM)
  16.  Dark Mode
  17.  Hierarchical Structure
  18.  No Tracking
  19.  Syntax Highlighting
  20.  Knowledge Base
  21.  Ad-free
  22.  Encrypted Backup
  23. Docker icon  Support for Docker
  24.  WebDAV Sync
  25. Amazon Simple Storage Service icon  Support for Amazon S3

 Tags

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Manages bookmarks and RSS feeds with customizable widgets and themes. Offers browser extensions for cross-device usability and personalized pages.

 
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Comments and Reviews

   
Comment summary: SiYuan receives highly positive feedback for its robust PKM and note-taking capabilities, open-source and local-first approach, and advanced features like E2EE, SQL support, block-level linking, and a powerful WYSIWYG editor. Users praise its hybrid functionality (comparable to Obsidian, Notion, and OneNote), cross-platform support, and suitability for multilingual and right-to-left languages. Language localization and communication are noted areas for improvement.
Top Positive Comment
alternatom
1

You must try it, it's really fantastic.

For Linux user that installed via flatpak version, you might allow user files to launch it properly.

Obsidian + Onenote + Notion all in one.

Cross platform and open source are priceless.

sabo3
0

Lightweight alternative to Logseq. Easier to learn and use than TiddlyWiki, supports right-to-left languages, and support bidirectional (BiDi) writing like Arabic mixed with English

TBayAreaPat
0

From AI: Free account (logged in): 5 Pro Searches per day. Basic (non‑Pro) searches are described as “practically unlimited,” 1 research query per month. 3 file uploads per day in threads. Access to basic models only, no advanced models or image generation.

aryluneix
1

Pretty much the best and most functional personal note taking app I really want to use! Lots of editing features, flexible block settings, database, very powerful graph and so on... And my favorite thing is that it's open source! A real treasure for those who value organizing their thoughts.

464803712
3

With the fact that there hasn't been an official English communication for Siyuan, you can use this Discord server as an alternative. The author and some users are trying to make Siyuan more friendly to other languages besides Chinese, but it still needs some time to improve.

https://discord.com/channels/808152298789666826/882960466991779875

winkler-daniel1
Replying to @464803712

There is now also https://liuyun.io/ which is the official English platform

Review from a new or low-activity account — shown here, but not counted in the app rating.
Guest
4

Opensource, E2EE, Local-first.

Review from a new or low-activity account — shown here, but not counted in the app rating.
kprev
5

It's basically a combination of Obsidian and Notion. Not perfect, but an excellent hybrid.

7 of 11 comments

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Official Links

AppStores & Other Links

Download from Microsoft Store
Download from Google Play Store
Download from iPhone App Store

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan is a Markdown Block-Reference and Bidirectional-Link note-taking application, supports Windows, Mac and Linux, can be used directly on the browser, and supports mobile-end adaptation.

SiYuan information

  • Developed by

    CN flagYunnan Liandi Technology Co., Ltd.

  • Licensing

    Open Source (AGPL-3.0) and Freemium product.

  • Pricing

    One time purchase (perpetual license) that costs up to $148 + free version with limited functionality.

  • Written in

  • Rating

    Average rating of 5

  • Alternatives

    129 alternatives listed

  • Badge

    Get an embeddable badge for SiYuan

  • Supported Languages

    • English
    • Chinese

AlternativeTo Categories

Office & Productivity, Development, Backup & Sync, Security & Privacy, Business & Commerce

Apple AppStore

  •   Updated 
  •   3.93 avg rating
View in AppStore

GitHub repository

  •  46,610 Stars
  •  3,034 Forks
  •  8 Open Issues
  •   Updated  
View on GitHub

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Our users have written 11 comments and reviews about SiYuan, and it has gotten 85 likes

SiYuan was added to AlternativeTo by jchalifour on and this page was last updated .