Siyuan: Privacy-first, self-hosted personal knowledge management software

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Comparisons to Obsidian, Notion, and others

  • Many see SiYuan as very similar to Obsidian; some call it an Obsidian/Notion/RemNote hybrid.
  • Key perceived advantages over Obsidian: open source (AGPL), fully WYSIWYG editor, first‑class web interface, self‑hostable sync, built‑in databases and spaced repetition.
  • Obsidian is praised for:
    • “File over app” philosophy with plain Markdown vaults.
    • Strong plugin ecosystem (Dataview, spaced repetition, Excalidraw, etc.), graph view, search/navigation.
    • Flexible sync via Git, Syncthing, cloud storage; paid but optional official sync.
  • Several argue Obsidian still feels more powerful/flexible, especially via plugins, and better as a no‑code platform.

Data Format, Openness, and Lock‑in

  • SiYuan stores notes in its own JSON format (often encrypted).
  • Concerns:
    • Not plain Markdown; feels like vendor/project lock‑in vs Obsidian’s directory of Markdown files.
  • Counterpoints:
    • It’s open source; internal parsers exist and full Markdown export is supported.
    • Existing installs or Docker images can keep reading data even if development stops.

Licensing and Business Model

  • Entire codebase, including license checks for “Pro” features (e.g., some exports, self‑hosted sync), is AGPL.
  • Commenters note this makes patching out license checks legally possible, though seen by some as unethical.
  • Project maintainers confirm the intention is to sell convenience (prebuilt binaries, cloud services), not restrict freedoms.
  • Similar models are discussed (e.g., paid builds or plugins on top of GPL/LGPL projects); some doubt long‑term sustainability, others like the “pay once, lifetime” approach.

Self‑hosting, Sync, and Collaboration

  • Multiple users report stable self‑hosting via Docker and syncing across devices (including via self‑hosted S3).
  • One tradeoff vs some desktop apps: depending on setup, offline access can be weaker.
  • Multi‑user real‑time collaboration is not yet available; it appears only on the public roadmap.

UX, Features, and Scope

  • Praised as “expressive” and feature‑rich: databases/tables, flashcards, AI, advanced layout, many export formats (including Org‑mode).
  • Some find it overwhelming/noisy compared to more focused tools.
  • Others explicitly wanted a browser‑accessible, self‑hosted Notion‑like tool and say SiYuan fits that niche well.

Trust, Origin, and Transparency

  • Some express discomfort with a China‑based project or with limited information about the company.
  • Others counter that:
    • Maintainers and corporate details are easily discoverable in Chinese‑language sources (though some corporate info sites are geoblocked outside China).
    • Open source code is a stronger basis for trust than geography.

Broader Note‑Taking Philosophies and Alternatives

  • Several participants use the thread to argue for “files over apps”:
    • Plain text/Markdown or Org‑mode in directories, managed with Unix tools (git, grep, fzf, etc.).
    • Backlinks can be implemented via small helper scripts.
  • Others highlight alternative tools (Obsidian, Logseq, Trilium/TriliumNext, org‑roam, Zim, Flatnotes) and emphasize that personal workflow and comfort often matter more than any single app’s feature list.