Hive
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Comparison · Collab
Joplin vs SiYuan
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Joplin and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:ai-integrationlocal-first
Joplin vs SiYuan: at a glance
What is Joplin?
Joplin adds AI chat, semantic search, and an MCP server — local-first notes just became an AI knowledge hub.
Joplin is a privacy-first, open-source note-taking app with strong cross-platform sync, end-to-end encryption, and an active plugin ecosystem. Version 3.7 marked a sharp pivot: the app shipped an AI chat panel, semantic search, and a built-in MCP server — features that let LLMs read and write your notes either via Joplin Cloud AI or a locally-hosted model, with no data leaving your machine in the local case. The open-source, offline-first positioning is now a genuine differentiator against closed AI-first note tools.
What is SiYuan?
SiYuan 3.8.3 ships remote kernel access and tabbed blocks, hardening its self-hosted collaborative future.
SiYuan is a privacy-first, local-first block-based note-taking app that has shipped a significant architectural expansion in v3.8.3: desktop clients can now connect to a remote kernel over a network, enabling shared workspaces without cloud dependency. The 3.8.4 alpha series that followed is focused on polish—mobile UX, agent-configurable database fields, and Command Palette improvements. Security patches and bug fixes have been interleaved throughout.
Joplin vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side
Joplin
3.8COLLAB
Joplin adds AI chat, semantic search, and an MCP server — local-first notes just became an AI knowledge hub.
◆ Current state
Joplin is a privacy-first, open-source note-taking app with strong cross-platform sync, end-to-end encryption, and an active plugin ecosystem. Version 3.7 marked a sharp pivot: the app shipped an AI chat panel, semantic search, and a built-in MCP server — features that let LLMs read and write your notes either via Joplin Cloud AI or a locally-hosted model, with no data leaving your machine in the local case. The open-source, offline-first positioning is now a genuine differentiator against closed AI-first note tools.
◆ Where it's heading
Joplin is evolving from a sync-and-edit foundation toward a local-first AI knowledge base. The MCP server, semantic search, and plugin LLM API introduced in 3.7 collectively turn Joplin into a node in agentic workflows — not just a document store. Prior releases (3.2–3.6) systematically closed the gap with commercial note apps on UX, mobile parity, and import fidelity; 3.7 signals the team is now ready to build on that foundation with AI capabilities that respect the privacy guarantees users came for.
◆ Prediction
The most likely next move is maturing the 3.7 AI features out of beta and expanding Joplin Cloud AI as a revenue driver, while the plugin API's new LLM hooks spawn third-party automation tools. The Rocketbook and HTR integrations announced in late 2024 are still outstanding; expect one of those to land in 3.8 or 3.9 as the partnership with the French government institution matures.
SiYuan
6.3COLLAB
SiYuan 3.8.3 ships remote kernel access and tabbed blocks, hardening its self-hosted collaborative future.
◆ Current state
SiYuan is a privacy-first, local-first block-based note-taking app that has shipped a significant architectural expansion in v3.8.3: desktop clients can now connect to a remote kernel over a network, enabling shared workspaces without cloud dependency. The 3.8.4 alpha series that followed is focused on polish—mobile UX, agent-configurable database fields, and Command Palette improvements. Security patches and bug fixes have been interleaved throughout.
◆ Where it's heading
SiYuan is systematically narrowing the gap between its self-hosted experience and cloud-native alternatives. The push toward mobile parity (marketplace on mobile, configurable bottom bar, improved mobile interactions across several releases) and agent integration (custom AI provider headers, Responses API support, MCP server compatibility, bundled Skill resources) suggests the next phase positions SiYuan as connective tissue for AI workflows, not just a note-taking tool. The Electron upgrade and macOS 12 drop signal willingness to break backward compatibility to move faster.
◆ Prediction
The next milestone is likely a stable v3.8.3 or v3.8.4 release that consolidates remote kernel and agent features, followed by deeper MCP tooling—early signals (unified command registry, extensible custom blocks, plugin APIs) point toward a stable external automation surface.
Alternatives to Joplin 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 Joplin or SiYuan.
AFFiNE
AFFiNE is grinding through canary bug fixes — self-hosted config gaps, proxy correctness, and editor invariants — while adding iOS sharing and multi-account workspace flows.
Asana
Asana ships HIPAA for Gov and deepens AI-assisted rule management while completing its rich-text document overhaul.
Teable
Teable is assembling an agentic data platform — Scraper catalog, credential governance, and compute lineage are converging fast.
GitHub
GitHub ships GPT-6 Astra into Copilot while GHES 3.22 extends AI to enterprise self-hosted
Skedda
Skedda builds a data layer under its booking product with occupancy analytics and multi-venue insights
See all Joplin alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →
Recent activity from Joplin and SiYuan
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 14h agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.4-alpha.4: agent database config, mobile polish, Command Palette expansion
- 16h agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.3
- 1d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.2
- 2d agoSiYuanv3.8.4-alpha.1
- 3d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.3: remote kernel access, tabbed blocks, unified command registry ⚡
- 3d agoSiYuanv3.8.3-alpha.3
- 10d 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
- 11mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.4
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Joplin and SiYuan?
Both compete on the same themes — ai-integration, local-first — within Collab. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 3.8), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Joplin 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 3.8), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. 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 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.