MindForger 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 | MindForger | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,721 | ★ 46,488 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote | Notion, Evernote |
What are MindForger and SiYuan?
MindForger
MindForger is an open-source, desktop personal knowledge base and Markdown editor that doubles as a thinking notebook. It keeps all notes as plain Markdown files in directories you control.
- Markdown notebook
- Associations between notes
- Knowledge mind mapping
- Plain file storage
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
MindForger vs SiYuan: key differences
MindForger is written in C++, while SiYuan is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MindForger versus AGPL-3.0 for SiYuan. MindForger is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for SiYuan. MindForger is the more established project (first released 2018), while SiYuan arrived in 2020. SiYuan has the considerably larger community, at 46,488 GitHub stars versus 2,721. SiYuan lists first-class Docker deployment; MindForger does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MindForger if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Works fully offline
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No native sync
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 MindForger or SiYuan better?
Neither is universally better. SiYuan has the larger community, while MindForger is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MindForger and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. MindForger is licensed under GPL-2.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MindForger and SiYuan with Docker?
MindForger: check the project docs for container support. SiYuan: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MindForger or SiYuan?
MindForger has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for SiYuan. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.