Logseq 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?
FeatureLogseqSiYuan
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageClojureTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentbinary, bare-metaldocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 44,329★ 45,670
First released20202020
ReplacesNotion, Roam ResearchNotion, Evernote

Why pick each one

Choose Logseq if…

  • Local-first and private
  • Great for linked thinking
  • Files stay portable
Logseq details

Choose SiYuan if…

  • Powerful block-based model
  • Works offline and self-hosted
SiYuan details

Frequently asked questions

Is Logseq or SiYuan better?

Neither is universally better. SiYuan has the larger community, while Logseq is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Logseq and SiYuan free and open-source?

Yes. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Logseq and SiYuan with Docker?

Logseq: check the project docs for container support. SiYuan: yes.

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