Docmost 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.
Docmost
Open-source collaborative wiki and documentation
VS
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | Docmost | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,773 | ★ 46,488 |
| First released | 2024 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Notion, Evernote |
What are Docmost and SiYuan?
Docmost
Docmost is an open-source collaborative documentation and wiki software for teams to create and organize knowledge. It targets organizations seeking a self-hosted Confluence alternative. It is deployed via Docker with PostgreSQL.
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Spaces and nested pages
- Permissions and SSO
- Diagrams and embeds
SiYuan
SiYuan is an open-source, privacy-first personal knowledge management system that supports block-level references and bidirectional links. It can run locally or be self-hosted for access across devices.
- Block-level referencing
- Bidirectional links
- Self-hosted or local mode
- End-to-end encrypted sync
Docmost vs SiYuan: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. SiYuan is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Docmost. SiYuan is the more established project (first released 2020), while Docmost arrived in 2024. SiYuan has the considerably larger community, at 46,488 GitHub stars versus 21,773.
Why pick each one
Choose Docmost if…
- Clean modern interface
- Good team collaboration
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires Postgres
Choose SiYuan if…
- Powerful block-based model
- Works offline and self-hosted
Watch out for
- Documentation strongest in Chinese
- Some advanced features are paid
Frequently asked questions
Is Docmost 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 Docmost and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. Docmost is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Docmost and SiYuan with Docker?
Docmost: yes. SiYuan: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Docmost or SiYuan?
SiYuan has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Docmost. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.