SiYuan

A privacy-first, local-first personal knowledge base with block-level references, Markdown WYSIWYG editing and apps for desktop, mobile and Docker.

47k stars, 3.1k forks TypeScript On GitHub since August 2020

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan structures notes as blocks, so you can reference, embed and query any paragraph or heading, not only whole pages. The editor is WYSIWYG with Markdown shortcuts, and features include bidirectional links, a graph view, databases, flashcards with spaced repetition, PDF annotation and AI assistance. Data stays on your device by default. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, or as a Docker container you open in the browser, and has a marketplace for themes and plugins. The interface is translated into 19 languages.

Good fit if

  • You build a large personal knowledge base and want links at the paragraph level.
  • You want flashcards and PDF annotation in the same tool as your notes.

Look elsewhere if

Before you adopt it

SiYuan is AGPL-3.0. Two developers write almost all of the code at a very high pace, and some cloud features are paid subscriptions from the developers rather than parts of this repository.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

SiYuan health: is it still maintained?

75 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    4,793 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 29 October 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    2 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 79% of them.
    6 / 20
  • Releases
    1 release in the last 12 months; the latest, v3.8.9, on 29 October 2026.
    14 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 100% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 1 hour.
    20 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 5 of 10.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

SiYuan license: is it open source?

SiYuan uses AGPL-3.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. August 2020First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayAGPL-3.0.

How to run SiYuan yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
Builds for Android, Linux, macOS, Windows, including ARM in GitHub releases
Interface languages
19 languages

Install instructions: b3log.org or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to SiYuan

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  • Trilium NotesBuild your personal knowledge base with Trilium Notes 80 health · AGPL-3.0 · 38.6k stars
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Questions about SiYuan

Is SiYuan open source?

Yes. SiYuan is published under AGPL-3.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is SiYuan still maintained?

Its health score is 75 of 100 (actively developed). It had 4,793 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 29 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 29 October 2026.

How do I run SiYuan?

You can run it with Docker, as an app for Android, Linux, macOS, Windows, including ARM. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What are the alternatives to SiYuan?

Close alternatives in the Notes & knowledge bases category include Logseq, Trilium Notes, AFFiNE.