AFFiNE
Affine patches a cascade of silent bugs across its self-hosted, editor, and sync layers
Comparison · Collab
Memos vs SiYuan
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Memos and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Memos vs SiYuan: at a glance
What is Memos?
Memos adds collaborative Spaces without handing administrators the keys to everyone's notes.
Memos is a self-hosted memo archive that has spent three release candidates rebuilding its foundations rather than its surface. 0.27 embedded an MCP server in the instance, 0.30 flipped undeclared instances to private mode and regenerated that MCP surface from the OpenAPI schema, and 0.31.0-rc.1 now introduces first-class Spaces with ADMIN and USER memberships. The ownership model was rewritten alongside it: instance administrators are no longer implicit collaborators on other people's memos.
What is SiYuan?
SiYuan is shipping eight 3.8.4 alphas in a week, adding AI agent DB control and mobile parity.
SiYuan is an open-source, self-hostable block-based PKM on a rapid alpha cadence. Eight 3.8.4 alphas shipped in under a week, building on the 3.8.3-beta.1 foundation that added remote kernel support and tabbed container blocks. The current release surface now includes AI agent control over database schema, mobile PDF annotation, document pinning, and configurable workspace appearance.
Memos vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side
Memos
3.8COLLAB
Memos adds collaborative Spaces without handing administrators the keys to everyone's notes.
◆ Current state
Memos is a self-hosted memo archive that has spent three release candidates rebuilding its foundations rather than its surface. 0.27 embedded an MCP server in the instance, 0.30 flipped undeclared instances to private mode and regenerated that MCP surface from the OpenAPI schema, and 0.31.0-rc.1 now introduces first-class Spaces with ADMIN and USER memberships. The ownership model was rewritten alongside it: instance administrators are no longer implicit collaborators on other people's memos.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction runs from one person's notebook toward shared, agent-addressable infrastructure, and the order matters — access control and a stable API surface landed before multi-user sharing did. Each candidate has carried its breaking changes rather than deferring them: Shortcuts became Saved Views across the API, MCP tools and web routes, reactions lost content_id, S3 attachments stopped returning presigned URLs, and the Explore and per-user RSS feeds now return 404. Memos is willing to spend client compatibility to keep the data model coherent.
◆ Prediction
Expect 0.31 to reach a stable release with migration guidance for the Saved Views rename, and for Space scoping to extend next to the surfaces the notes say stay global — Archived, Inbox, profiles and Settings.
SiYuan
5.0COLLAB
SiYuan is shipping eight 3.8.4 alphas in a week, adding AI agent DB control and mobile parity.
◆ Current state
SiYuan is an open-source, self-hostable block-based PKM on a rapid alpha cadence. Eight 3.8.4 alphas shipped in under a week, building on the 3.8.3-beta.1 foundation that added remote kernel support and tabbed container blocks. The current release surface now includes AI agent control over database schema, mobile PDF annotation, document pinning, and configurable workspace appearance.
◆ Where it's heading
Two architectural moves define this cycle: an AI-agent-first data layer — where the agent can now configure database fields, not just query them — and a remote-kernel execution model separating the SiYuan kernel from the frontend. Mobile parity is the sustained third push, with iPadOS 26 compatibility, mobile-specific database bottom sheets, and PDF annotation on mobile all landing across this alpha train.
◆ Prediction
A 3.8.4 beta should land within days given the alpha pace; expect it to consolidate AI agent database integration and the remote kernel GUI as headline features. The next directional capability surface is not visible in these entries.
Alternatives to Memos 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 Memos or SiYuan.
Nuclino
Nuclino ships its MCP server in January 2026, making the team knowledge base queryable by AI agents—a directional move toward AI-native knowledge management.
Wiki.js
Wiki.js 3.0 beta closes enterprise auth and SEO gaps at sprint pace
GitHub
GitHub Copilot adds adaptive model orchestration and self-resolving code review in a single week.
Asana
Asana embeds AI into Slack threads and closes the rich-text gap with Notion
Hive
Hive is building shared AI automation infrastructure into the core of its PM platform.
See all Memos alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →
Recent activity from Memos and SiYuan
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8h agoSiYuanSiYuan alpha.8: document pinning, agent DB fields, mobile PDF
- 11h agoSiYuanSiYuan alpha.7: document pinning and typed kernel API contracts
- 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan alpha.6: AI agent timeouts configurable, workspace gradient control
- 3d agoSiYuanSiYuan alpha.5: iPadOS 26 support and backlink filtering controls
- 4d agoSiYuanSiYuan alpha.4: AI agent can now configure database fields
- 4d agoSiYuanSiYuan alpha.3: remote kernel GUI, rich table editing, shortcut conflicts
- 14d agoMemosCollaborative Spaces, author-owned memos, and Saved Views ⚡
- 1mo agoMemosEmbedded MCP endpoint, live SSE updates, and revocable share links ⚡
- 1mo agoMemosMemos Web Clipper and a redesigned memo detail rail
- 2mo agoMemosPrivate by default, CEL time filters, and a stateless MCP endpoint ⚡
- 5mo agoMemosMentions, voice recording, and Live Photo attachments
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Memos and SiYuan?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 3.8), with 0 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 Memos better than SiYuan?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 3.8), with 0 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 Memos?
Top Memos alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Memos alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/memos 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.