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.
Not the right match-up?
Laverna
Markdown note-taking app with client-side encryption
VS
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | Laverna | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 9,182 | ★ 45,670 |
| First released | 2014 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Notion, Evernote |
Why pick each one
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.