AppFlowy Cloud vs SiYuan
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AppFlowy Cloud
Self-hosted backend for the AppFlowy workspace app
VS
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | AppFlowy Cloud | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,976 | ★ 45,670 |
| First released | 2023 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Notion | Notion, Evernote |
Why pick each one
Choose AppFlowy Cloud if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is AppFlowy Cloud or SiYuan better?
Neither is universally better. SiYuan has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AppFlowy Cloud and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. AppFlowy Cloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AppFlowy Cloud and SiYuan with Docker?
AppFlowy Cloud: yes. SiYuan: yes.