Self-hosted LiveSync 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?
Self-hosted LiveSync
Self-hosted real-time sync backend for Obsidian vaults
VS
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | Self-hosted LiveSync | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,908 | ★ 45,670 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Obsidian Sync | Notion, Evernote |
Why pick each one
Choose Self-hosted LiveSync if…
- Free alternative to Obsidian Sync
- Encrypted by default
Frequently asked questions
Is Self-hosted LiveSync 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 Self-hosted LiveSync and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. Self-hosted LiveSync is licensed under MIT and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Self-hosted LiveSync and SiYuan with Docker?
Self-hosted LiveSync: yes. SiYuan: yes.