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Comparison · Collab

CryptPad vs SiYuan

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

Shared themes:self-hosted

CryptPad vs SiYuan: at a glance

FeatureCryptPadSiYuan
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score2.55.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesend-to-end encryption, seasonal releases, upstream upgrades, self-hostedpkm, local-first, ai-agent, knowledge-base
Last editorial update1mo ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is CryptPad?

CryptPad ships on a seasonal train, and the visible work is upstream upgrades and fixes

CryptPad releases in named seasonal batches — Winter 2026.2.0, Spring 2026.5.0 — each followed by one or two small fix releases, then a long quiet stretch. The two substantive releases in this window both center on upgrading bundled upstream editors: OnlyOffice 9 for the office apps in February, Drawio 29 for the Diagram app in May, the latter switching to an infinite-canvas sketch theme by default with a switcher for the older mode. Everything else is fixes, translations, accessibility and locale additions, and websocket and pinning leak repairs. Since May the only entry is an opendesk-tagged build that suppresses donation prompts when CryptPad runs inside an integration.

Read the full CryptPad trajectory →

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan is actively developing AI agent capabilities that control the note-taking environment itself, from database field configuration to workspace settings.

SiYuan ships multiple pre-release builds per week across parallel alpha and beta tracks. The AI agent thread is increasingly prominent — each alpha release either extends what the agent can control (now database field configuration) or adjusts how it operates (timeout tuning). Mobile platform adaptation (iPadOS 26, keyboard transitions) and PDF export are the other active fronts.

Read the full SiYuan trajectory →

CryptPad vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side

C
CryptPad
COLLAB
2.5

CryptPad ships on a seasonal train, and the visible work is upstream upgrades and fixes

◆ Current state

CryptPad releases in named seasonal batches — Winter 2026.2.0, Spring 2026.5.0 — each followed by one or two small fix releases, then a long quiet stretch. The two substantive releases in this window both center on upgrading bundled upstream editors: OnlyOffice 9 for the office apps in February, Drawio 29 for the Diagram app in May, the latter switching to an infinite-canvas sketch theme by default with a switcher for the older mode. Everything else is fixes, translations, accessibility and locale additions, and websocket and pinning leak repairs. Since May the only entry is an opendesk-tagged build that suppresses donation prompts when CryptPad runs inside an integration.

◆ Where it's heading

This reads as a small team maintaining a broad end-to-end encrypted suite rather than pushing into new capability. Progress arrives largely through the editors CryptPad wraps, with its own work concentrated on the collaboration layer around them — history browsing extended to office documents, drive tree, forms, moderation tooling. The opendesk build points at where distribution is actually going: CryptPad embedded as a component of a larger sovereign workplace stack, with donation appeals turned off because in that context someone else owns the user relationship.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next seasonal release to continue the pattern — another upstream editor bump plus accumulated fixes — and more integration-specific adjustments as embedded deployments grow. The three-month gap since the Spring line suggests the next batch is still some way out.

S
SiYuan
COLLAB
5.0

SiYuan is actively developing AI agent capabilities that control the note-taking environment itself, from database field configuration to workspace settings.

◆ Current state

SiYuan ships multiple pre-release builds per week across parallel alpha and beta tracks. The AI agent thread is increasingly prominent — each alpha release either extends what the agent can control (now database field configuration) or adjusts how it operates (timeout tuning). Mobile platform adaptation (iPadOS 26, keyboard transitions) and PDF export are the other active fronts.

◆ Where it's heading

The agent configuring database fields in alpha.4 suggests SiYuan is building toward a fully agent-controllable workspace: not just note creation and retrieval but schema management. Combined with earlier agent sidebar improvements and configurable timeouts supporting local LLMs, the direction is toward power users driving SiYuan through conversational commands rather than direct UI manipulation.

◆ Prediction

The v3.8.4 alpha series will stabilize into a beta within the next few releases. If the agent database config direction continues, expect a more formal API surface for the agent to be documented as the local-first AI model matures.

Alternatives to CryptPad and SiYuan

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 CryptPad or SiYuan.

See all CryptPad alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →

Recent activity from CryptPad and SiYuan

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

  1. 1d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.6
  2. 2d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.5
  3. 3d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.4
  4. 3d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.3 (superseded by alpha.4)
  5. 4d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.2
  6. 5d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.1
  7. 1mo agoCryptPadopendesk build suppresses donation prompts
  8. 3mo agoCryptPadFix release repairs office app corruption and SSO plugin
  9. 4mo agoCryptPadDiagram app moves to Drawio 29 with a sketch-mode default
  10. 5mo agoCryptPadPatch fixes office history loading and a version misnumber
  11. 5mo agoCryptPadPatch closes websocket leaks and a shared-folder drive bug
  12. 7mo agoCryptPadOnlyOffice 9 brings full history browsing to office docs

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between CryptPad and SiYuan?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is CryptPad better than SiYuan?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to CryptPad?

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

What are the best alternatives to SiYuan?

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