Laverna 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.
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | Laverna | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 24 · At risk | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,171 | ★ 46,488 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Notion, Evernote |
What are Laverna and SiYuan?
Laverna
Laverna is an open-source, web-based note-taking application with Markdown support and client-side encryption. It can store notes locally or sync via Dropbox or remoteStorage and can be self-hosted as a static app.
- Client-side encryption
- Markdown editor
- Offline support
- Static self-hosted app
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
Laverna vs SiYuan: key differences
Laverna is written in JavaScript, while SiYuan is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Laverna versus AGPL-3.0 for SiYuan. Laverna is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SiYuan. Laverna is the more established project (first released 2014), while SiYuan arrived in 2020. SiYuan has the considerably larger community, at 46,488 GitHub stars versus 9,171. SiYuan lists first-class Docker deployment; Laverna does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Laverna if…
- Strong privacy focus
- No backend required
Watch out for
- Development has stalled
- Aging codebase
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 Laverna or SiYuan better?
Neither is universally better. SiYuan has the larger community, while Laverna is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Laverna and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. Laverna is licensed under MPL-2.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Laverna and SiYuan with Docker?
Laverna: check the project docs for container support. SiYuan: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Laverna or SiYuan?
Laverna has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SiYuan. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.