← Back to home
Comparison · Collab

File Browser vs SiYuan

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

File Browser vs SiYuan: at a glance

FeatureFile BrowserSiYuan
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score6.35.0
Sparks · 30d10
Top themesend-of-life, self-hosted, file-manager, security-hardeningnote-taking, local-first, harmonyos, mobile-parity
Last editorial update3h ago2h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is File Browser?

File Browser is shutting down — the repo archives on 2026-09-01 and no security fixes follow.

The project spent July shipping a rapid series of hardening releases — path canonicalization before access checks, atomic user provisioning, TUS upload length enforcement, download-permission gates, case-folded home directory collisions, several GHSA-tracked share and auth advisories — and then announced it was winding down. 2.63.23 is the last planned release; the repository archives on 2026-09-01.

Read the full File Browser trajectory →

What is SiYuan?

Near-daily alphas grinding toward parity between desktop and every mobile OS

SiYuan tags alphas almost daily — six v3.7.4 alphas in nine days following the v3.7.3 stable on July 21. The notes are cumulative, so each alpha restates the previous list and appends what landed since, which makes the train look larger than it is. Individual entries are long lists of small enhancements rather than headline features.

Read the full SiYuan trajectory →

File Browser vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side

F6.3

File Browser is shutting down — the repo archives on 2026-09-01 and no security fixes follow.

◆ Current state

The project spent July shipping a rapid series of hardening releases — path canonicalization before access checks, atomic user provisioning, TUS upload length enforcement, download-permission gates, case-folded home directory collisions, several GHSA-tracked share and auth advisories — and then announced it was winding down. 2.63.23 is the last planned release; the repository archives on 2026-09-01.

◆ Where it's heading

The shape of the final weeks tells the story: almost every commit was a scope-escape or permission-bypass fix, which is a heavy load for a Go binary that many people expose directly to the internet. Rather than keep absorbing that, the maintainers are stopping. Existing releases and Docker images stay online, but from September there is no one fixing the next advisory.

◆ Prediction

Existing deployments keep working and keep accumulating unpatched vulnerabilities; expect the community to consolidate around a fork or one of the existing alternatives before the archive date.

S
SiYuan
COLLAB
5.0

Near-daily alphas grinding toward parity between desktop and every mobile OS

◆ Current state

SiYuan tags alphas almost daily — six v3.7.4 alphas in nine days following the v3.7.3 stable on July 21. The notes are cumulative, so each alpha restates the previous list and appends what landed since, which makes the train look larger than it is. Individual entries are long lists of small enhancements rather than headline features.

◆ Where it's heading

Two threads dominate. The first is mobile and multi-OS parity: audio recording on Android and HarmonyOS, S Pen hover for block popovers on Android tablets, batch image insertion in the HarmonyOS editor, back-action dialog ordering, custom font import on mobile, and RPM packaging that coexists with other Electron apps. Treating HarmonyOS as a first-class target alongside Android and iOS is unusual for a note-taking tool this size. The second is the database feature set maturing into a structured-data layer — column alignment, relation backlinks in the attribute panel, item templates, and deep links to individual database items.

◆ Prediction

A v3.7.4 stable should follow within weeks given v3.7.3 shipped after three betas in as many days. Expect the database and HarmonyOS threads to keep accumulating small enhancements rather than a single large feature.

Alternatives to File Browser 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 File Browser or SiYuan.

See all File Browser alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →

Recent activity from File Browser and SiYuan

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

  1. 11h agoSiYuanTab dragging to Documents panel and child docs from selection
  2. 1d agoSiYuanSync performance and variable font support
  3. 1d agoSiYuanS Pen hover popovers and configurable tab startup
  4. 3d agoSiYuanAudio recording on Android and HarmonyOS
  5. 5d agoFile BrowserFinal release: project winds down, repo archives 2026-09-01
  6. 5d agoFile BrowserWind-down notice lands with recursive-rule and proxy-token fixes
  7. 6d agoSiYuanRelation selector row-opening tweak
  8. 7d agoFile BrowserPaths canonicalized before access rules are checked
  9. 7d agoFile BrowserProvisioned scope check made atomic with the save
  10. 8d agoFile BrowserTUS upload limits, checksum permission gate, scope isolation
  11. 8d agoSiYuanExport fidelity fixes and callout flashcards
  12. 29d agoFile BrowserCopy/move conflict checks and EPUB preview fix

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between File Browser and SiYuan?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. File Browser is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 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 File Browser better than SiYuan?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. File Browser is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 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 File Browser?

Top File Browser alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "File Browser alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/filebrowser 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.