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Comparison · Collab
Flame vs SiYuan
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Flame and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Flame vs SiYuan: at a glance
What is Flame?
Self-hosted dashboard that finished its feature arc and stopped shipping in 2023.
Flame is a self-hosted startpage for homelab services — app tiles, bookmarks, weather, and a search bar. The feature set it set out to build was finished across 2021 and 2022: custom app descriptions, Docker secrets support, a secondary search provider, and a custom theme editor. The most recent release in this feed is v2.3.1 from July 2023, and it is entirely bug fixes.
What is SiYuan?
SiYuan's v3.8.0 train restates one AI feature set across seven consecutive builds.
SiYuan is deep in a v3.8.0 preview train — four alphas and three betas since August 1 — and every build republishes the same four headline features: an AI Agent, semantic search over AI embeddings with reranking, Model Context Protocol support, and OIDC authentication. Two pairs of these builds carry byte-identical published notes, so the per-build delta is not visible from the feed at all. What does vary is a long enhancement list covering sync, mobile platforms and database views.
Flame vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side
Flame
0.0COLLAB
Self-hosted dashboard that finished its feature arc and stopped shipping in 2023.
◆ Current state
Flame is a self-hosted startpage for homelab services — app tiles, bookmarks, weather, and a search bar. The feature set it set out to build was finished across 2021 and 2022: custom app descriptions, Docker secrets support, a secondary search provider, and a custom theme editor. The most recent release in this feed is v2.3.1 from July 2023, and it is entirely bug fixes.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc reads as a project reaching completion rather than one under active development. Later releases shifted from adding capability to correcting the edges of what already existed — search-provider interactions, iOS input rendering, theme editor field sizes, label wording. There has been nothing since.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in these entries suggests further releases; anyone deploying Flame should treat the current version as the final one unless the project resumes.
SiYuan
6.3COLLAB
SiYuan's v3.8.0 train restates one AI feature set across seven consecutive builds.
◆ Current state
SiYuan is deep in a v3.8.0 preview train — four alphas and three betas since August 1 — and every build republishes the same four headline features: an AI Agent, semantic search over AI embeddings with reranking, Model Context Protocol support, and OIDC authentication. Two pairs of these builds carry byte-identical published notes, so the per-build delta is not visible from the feed at all. What does vary is a long enhancement list covering sync, mobile platforms and database views.
◆ Where it's heading
The release notes are cumulative rather than incremental, which makes the train read as a single release delivered in installments. Beneath the repeated feature banner the actual work is platform breadth: LAN peer-assisted acceleration for cloud sync, audio recording on Android and HarmonyOS, custom font import on mobile, and configurable Stable, Beta and Alpha update channels. Reaching beta.3 within ten days of the first alpha says the train is converging.
◆ Prediction
A v3.8.0 stable release looks close given the move from first alpha to third beta inside ten days. The update-channel setting arriving in this same cycle suggests the project intends to keep running parallel preview streams once it ships.
Alternatives to Flame 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 Flame or SiYuan.
Jellyfin
Jellyfin renumbers to 12.0 and spends the whole cycle paying down its backend rewrite.
Teable
Teable is spending its release budget making bring-your-own-database failures survivable.
NetNewsWire
NetNewsWire rebuilt Feedly sync to stop getting its own users rate-limited.
Happeo
Happeo's feed is a buyer-education funnel, not a changelog — no shipped work is visible.
Staffbase
Staffbase's public feed is employer branding, not product — the release signal isn't here.
See all Flame alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →
Recent activity from Flame and SiYuan
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 23h agoSiYuanThird v3.8.0 beta restating the AI Agent and MCP feature set
- 2d agoSiYuanSecond v3.8.0 beta, cumulative notes restated
- 3d agoSiYuanFirst v3.8.0 beta, notes identical to alpha.4
- 3d agoSiYuanFourth v3.8.0 alpha, notes identical to beta.1
- 5d agoSiYuanThird v3.8.0 alpha carries the database view work
- 6d agoSiYuanSecond v3.8.0 alpha, cumulative notes restated
- 3y agoFlameBug fixes for local search, iOS input styling, and theme editor
- 4y agoFlameCustom theme editor and secondary search provider
- 4y agoFlameIn-app location detection and tightened file permissions
- 4y agoFlameLocal search covers app descriptions; background task tuning
- 4y agoFlameCustom app descriptions and a cluster deployment fix
- 4y agoFlameDocker secrets support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Flame and SiYuan?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), 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 Flame better than SiYuan?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), 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 Flame?
Top Flame alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Flame alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/flame-dashboard 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.