BookStack
BookStack runs a disciplined security-release cadence, with occasional CalVer feature drops.
Comparison · Collab
SiYuan vs Trilium Notes
A side-by-side editorial comparison of SiYuan and Trilium Notes — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:notes
SiYuan vs Trilium Notes: at a glance
What is SiYuan?
SiYuan opens up: a kernel plugin system and CLI turn the notes app into a platform
SiYuan is shipping at a high cadence on the 0.x line, and the headline of the current cycle is extensibility — a kernel plugin system, a new command-line interface, and in-place editing for embed blocks. Alongside it sit steady i18n and export-quality improvements.
What is Trilium Notes?
Trilium adds spreadsheets and OCR while deliberately ripping out its LLM integration
Trilium Notes is on a steady minor cadence under its post-handover maintainership. The current arc is striking for cutting against the grain: 0.103 introduces new note types (spreadsheet) and OCR, while 0.102 removed the built-in LLM integration outright and shipped urgent security fixes.
SiYuan vs Trilium Notes: editorial side-by-side
SiYuan
6.3COLLAB
SiYuan opens up: a kernel plugin system and CLI turn the notes app into a platform
◆ Current state
SiYuan is shipping at a high cadence on the 0.x line, and the headline of the current cycle is extensibility — a kernel plugin system, a new command-line interface, and in-place editing for embed blocks. Alongside it sit steady i18n and export-quality improvements.
◆ Where it's heading
The product is moving from a self-contained privacy-first notebook toward an extensible platform: plugins at the kernel level, a CLI for automation, HTTPS/HTTP2 hosting, and broad language support. That widens both the developer surface and the self-host audience.
◆ Prediction
Expect a plugin ecosystem to form around the kernel plugin API, with SiYuan leaning further into self-hosted, automation-friendly workflows.
Trilium Notes
3.8COLLAB
Trilium adds spreadsheets and OCR while deliberately ripping out its LLM integration
◆ Current state
Trilium Notes is on a steady minor cadence under its post-handover maintainership. The current arc is striking for cutting against the grain: 0.103 introduces new note types (spreadsheet) and OCR, while 0.102 removed the built-in LLM integration outright and shipped urgent security fixes.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is a focused, locally-grounded knowledge tool — adding structured data (spreadsheets) and document capture (OCR) while shedding hard-to-maintain AI features. Trilium is optimizing for a maintainable, privacy-respecting core rather than chasing AI parity.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued capability depth in note types and capture (spreadsheet, OCR) with AI staying out of core, and security responsiveness remaining a priority.
Alternatives to SiYuan and Trilium Notes
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 SiYuan or Trilium Notes.
pCloud
pCloud's feed is mostly storage marketing — with one real feature in Rewind point-in-time recovery.
Asana
Asana keeps maturing AI Studio while hardening enterprise governance and cross-app integrations.
Mattermost
Mattermost doubles down on sovereign, post-quantum defence collaboration with an agentic layer on top.
Miro
Miro pushes into AI prototyping and wires the canvas to coding agents via MCP
Anytype
Anytype grinds through nightly builds while admin roles take shape
See all SiYuan alternatives → · See all Trilium Notes alternatives →
Recent activity from SiYuan and Trilium Notes
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoSiYuanv202606082233 ⚡
- 9d agoSiYuanv202605312230
- 11d agoSiYuanv202605292148
- 12d agoSiYuanv202605282135
- 16d agoSiYuanv202605242135
- 22d agoSiYuanv202605182208
- 26d agoTrilium Notesv0.103.0 ⚡
- 2mo agoTrilium Notes0.102.2: urgent security fixes
- 3mo agoTrilium Notesv0.102.1
- 3mo agoTrilium Notes0.102.0: LLM integration removed ⚡
- 4mo agoTrilium NotesWeb Clipper v1.1.0
- 4mo agoTrilium NotesWeb Clipper v1.1.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SiYuan and Trilium Notes?
Both compete on the same themes — notes — 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 SiYuan better than Trilium Notes?
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 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.
What are the best alternatives to Trilium Notes?
Top Trilium Notes alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Trilium Notes alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/trilium for the full list with editorial commentary on each.