Mindwendel 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?
Mindwendel
Self-hosted brainstorming and idea capture board
VS
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | Mindwendel | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elixir | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 136 | ★ 45,670 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Miro, Google Keep | Notion, Evernote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Mindwendel 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 Mindwendel and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. Mindwendel is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mindwendel and SiYuan with Docker?
Mindwendel: yes. SiYuan: yes.