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Keybase vs SiYuan

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

Keybase vs SiYuan: at a glance

FeatureKeybaseSiYuan
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score1.36.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themeszoom subsidiary, ios polish, broken crawl, low-signal feedplugin-system, cli, extensibility, local-first
Last editorial update1mo ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Keybase?

Keybase's feed is mostly broken crawls; the one real release (v6.6.0) is iOS polish from March.

Three of the four entries the crawler captured are GitHub error pages ('Sorry, something went wrong') that mostly contain a username and the standard tab navigation — the crawler is hitting profile pages that load partially. The only real content is v6.6.0 on March 6, which shipped iOS sharing improvements, Emoji 16 support, HEIC avatars, and assorted fixes.

Read the full Keybase trajectory →

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan's 3.7.0 turns the note-taker into a scriptable, extensible platform

SiYuan is converging its long 3.7.0 dev cycle toward release. The cumulative changelog — repeated across many dev builds — centers on a kernel plugin system, a new command-line interface, configurable secrets and variables, a reworked settings UI, and a large batch of database, editor, and mobile refinements. A breaking change now requires an explicit 'serve' subcommand to run the kernel.

Read the full SiYuan trajectory →

Keybase vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side

Keybase logo
Keybase
COLLAB
1.3

Keybase's feed is mostly broken crawls; the one real release (v6.6.0) is iOS polish from March.

◆ Current state

Three of the four entries the crawler captured are GitHub error pages ('Sorry, something went wrong') that mostly contain a username and the standard tab navigation — the crawler is hitting profile pages that load partially. The only real content is v6.6.0 on March 6, which shipped iOS sharing improvements, Emoji 16 support, HEIC avatars, and assorted fixes.

◆ Where it's heading

Keybase remains in slow-maintenance mode under Zoom: sporadic point releases focused on mobile niceties, no signs of a meaningful directional push. Confidence is limited by the source quality — half the feed is unusable.

◆ Prediction

Source likely needs re-pointing to the GitHub releases feed for the keybase/client repo to capture future releases reliably. Product itself probably ships another iOS-focused point release before any cross-platform feature lands.

S
SiYuan
COLLAB
6.3

SiYuan's 3.7.0 turns the note-taker into a scriptable, extensible platform

◆ Current state

SiYuan is converging its long 3.7.0 dev cycle toward release. The cumulative changelog — repeated across many dev builds — centers on a kernel plugin system, a new command-line interface, configurable secrets and variables, a reworked settings UI, and a large batch of database, editor, and mobile refinements. A breaking change now requires an explicit 'serve' subcommand to run the kernel.

◆ Where it's heading

The headline direction is extensibility and automation: a plugin-capable kernel, CLI access, and secrets/variables move SiYuan from a self-contained app toward something developers can script and integrate. The breaking kernel API changes and the new serve subcommand are the cost of that platform shift. Underneath, steady editor/database hardening and broad localization continue.

◆ Prediction

Expect 3.7.0 to ship from the beta line with the plugin system and CLI as its banner features, followed by an ecosystem period of plugins and integrations building on the new kernel APIs. The repeated dev-build entries don't add direction beyond this.

Alternatives to Keybase 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 Keybase or SiYuan.

See all Keybase alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →

Recent activity from Keybase and SiYuan

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

  1. 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.7.0-beta.2: secrets/variables, CLI, kernel plugin system
  2. 4d agoSiYuan3.7.0 dev build (cumulative pre-release notes)
  3. 5d agoSiYuan3.7.0 dev15 (cumulative pre-release notes)
  4. 16d agoSiYuan3.7.0 dev14 (cumulative pre-release notes)
  5. 16d agoSiYuan3.7.0 dev13 (cumulative pre-release notes)
  6. 17d agoSiYuan3.7.0 dev12 (cumulative pre-release notes)
  7. 2mo agoKeybaseCrawler artifact: GitHub user profile (heronhaye)
  8. 4mo agoKeybaseCrawler artifact: GitHub user profile (joshblum)

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Keybase and SiYuan?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 1.3), 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 Keybase 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 1.3), 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 Keybase?

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