Teable
Teable ships Scheduled Routines, a four-tier AI model system, and multi-model image generation — three sparks in five days
Comparison · Collab
Joplin vs Shiori
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Joplin and Shiori — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Joplin vs Shiori: at a glance
What is Joplin?
Joplin 3.7 ships AI chat, semantic search, and MCP integration — all off by default, all controllable by the user.
Joplin 3.7 is the product's first real AI release: an in-app chat panel for querying the currently open note, semantic (meaning-based) search across notebooks, and an MCP server that lets external AI assistants connect to Joplin's note graph. The implementation is privacy-first by design — AI is disabled by default, local models (Ollama, LM Studio) are explicitly supported, and cloud AI services only receive the specific note content relevant to a request rather than the full notebook. A companion documentation post published September 14 lays out the privacy model explicitly.
What is Shiori?
A Go bookmark manager rebuilding itself around an API — and only ever shipping release candidates.
Shiori is a self-hosted read-later and bookmark tool whose recent history is entirely release candidates: v1.7.0-rc.2, rc.3, v1.7.2-rc.1, v1.8.0-rc.1. The visible work has moved off the web UI and into an API v1 surface — tag endpoints, bookmark-tag association, filtering and counts — plus infrastructure like proxy-header authentication and SQLite performance. The last tagged release in this window is from July 2025.
Joplin vs Shiori: editorial side-by-side
Joplin
6.3COLLAB
Joplin 3.7 ships AI chat, semantic search, and MCP integration — all off by default, all controllable by the user.
◆ Current state
Joplin 3.7 is the product's first real AI release: an in-app chat panel for querying the currently open note, semantic (meaning-based) search across notebooks, and an MCP server that lets external AI assistants connect to Joplin's note graph. The implementation is privacy-first by design — AI is disabled by default, local models (Ollama, LM Studio) are explicitly supported, and cloud AI services only receive the specific note content relevant to a request rather than the full notebook. A companion documentation post published September 14 lays out the privacy model explicitly.
◆ Where it's heading
Joplin is repositioning from a sync-agnostic note-taking app into an AI-native knowledge base, differentiated by opt-in, local-first controls. The HMD Terra M preload partnership and the warrant canary point to a deliberate push toward privacy-conscious enterprise and professional users who distrust cloud-first tools. The MCP integration is particularly strategic: it makes Joplin's note graph accessible to external orchestration pipelines without locking into any particular AI provider.
◆ Prediction
The next major release will likely expand AI chat to multi-note context — currently limited to the open note — and add more configurable MCP tools. The HTR (handwritten text recognition) project from the 2024 French government partnership is also likely to appear in a near-term release.
Shiori
0.0COLLAB
A Go bookmark manager rebuilding itself around an API — and only ever shipping release candidates.
◆ Current state
Shiori is a self-hosted read-later and bookmark tool whose recent history is entirely release candidates: v1.7.0-rc.2, rc.3, v1.7.2-rc.1, v1.8.0-rc.1. The visible work has moved off the web UI and into an API v1 surface — tag endpoints, bookmark-tag association, filtering and counts — plus infrastructure like proxy-header authentication and SQLite performance. The last tagged release in this window is from July 2025.
◆ Where it's heading
The project is converting from a web app with an API bolted on into an API-first service with a client, and the login component, PWA and theme work are being rewritten around that split. Proxy forward-header authentication in particular is a deployment-shape decision: it assumes Shiori sits behind an authenticating reverse proxy rather than owning identity itself. The RC-only tagging pattern makes it hard to tell what the maintainers consider stable.
◆ Prediction
The next step is presumably a final v1.8.0 consolidating the API v1 tag work, though nothing in these entries indicates the RC-to-stable promotion is scheduled. If the pattern holds, the following RC continues on API endpoints rather than the UI.
Alternatives to Joplin and Shiori
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 Joplin or Shiori.
GitHub
GitHub Copilot tightens enterprise governance while AI security scanning drops its CodeQL prerequisite
Mattermost
Mattermost v11.11 adds data spillage exposure tracking as v12.0 breaking changes loom
SiYuan
SiYuan v3.8.4 beta cycle adds agent-controlled database fields, MiniMax image gen, and skill file management
Nextcloud
Nextcloud runs three LTS branches in parallel, shipping bug fixes and quiet performance wins.
Happeo
Happeo doubles down on SEO content to own intranet search terms for mid-market buyers.
See all Joplin alternatives → · See all Shiori alternatives →
Recent activity from Joplin and Shiori
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2d agoJoplinYour notes and AI: privacy first
- 16d agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.7 ⚡
- 4mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.6
- 6mo agoJoplinIntroducing our Warrant Canary
- 7mo agoJoplinJoplin will come preloaded on the HMD Terra M
- 8mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.5
- 1y agoShioriAPI v1 gains tag endpoints, filtering and counts; proxy header auth
- 1y agoShioriSwagger UI disabled by default; session auth and Postgres fixes
- 2y agoShioriLight, dark and system theme selection in the web UI
- 2y agoShioriHome button clears the active search query
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Joplin and Shiori?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Joplin is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), 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 Joplin better than Shiori?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Joplin is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), 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 Joplin?
Top Joplin alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Joplin alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/joplin for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Shiori?
Top Shiori alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Shiori alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/shiori for the full list with editorial commentary on each.