AFFiNE
Affine patches a cascade of silent bugs across its self-hosted, editor, and sync layers
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.
SiYuan vs Trilium Notes: at a glance
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.
What is Trilium Notes?
The TriliumNext fork spent its early betas making the app trustworthy to install
Three beta releases from early 2025. The work is dominated by distribution and access concerns: signed Windows binaries obtained through a donated EV certificate, signed macOS builds, multi-factor authentication that required a database version bump, basic right-to-left content support, and repaired migration paths from the original Trilium. Nothing has been published to this feed since March 2025.
SiYuan vs Trilium Notes: editorial side-by-side
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.
Trilium Notes
0.0COLLAB
The TriliumNext fork spent its early betas making the app trustworthy to install
◆ Current state
Three beta releases from early 2025. The work is dominated by distribution and access concerns: signed Windows binaries obtained through a donated EV certificate, signed macOS builds, multi-factor authentication that required a database version bump, basic right-to-left content support, and repaired migration paths from the original Trilium. Nothing has been published to this feed since March 2025.
◆ Where it's heading
These are the problems a fork inherits rather than chooses. Before adding features, the project had to make installs pass platform trust checks, let users migrate off the predecessor without an intermediate upgrade, and add authentication a self-hosted note store is expected to have. It is groundwork, done in the open, with contributors credited by name.
◆ Prediction
There is not enough recent activity to predict the next release. The feed has been silent for over a year, so whether the beta line continued elsewhere is the open question.
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.
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 SiYuan alternatives → · See all Trilium Notes alternatives →
Recent activity from SiYuan and Trilium Notes
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
- 1y agoTrilium NotesMulti-factor authentication and signed Windows binaries
- 1y agoTrilium NotesSigned macOS builds and right-to-left content support
- 1y agoTrilium NotesFixes missing Windows ZIP artifacts
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SiYuan and Trilium Notes?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 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 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 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 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 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-next for the full list with editorial commentary on each.