QuillPad 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?
QuillPad
Minimal note-taking app with notebooks and tags
VS
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
| Feature | QuillPad | SiYuan |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Kotlin | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,354 | ★ 45,670 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Keep, OneNote | Notion, Evernote |
Why pick each one
Choose QuillPad if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Kotlin
Frequently asked questions
Is QuillPad or SiYuan better?
Neither is universally better. SiYuan has the larger community, while QuillPad is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are QuillPad and SiYuan free and open-source?
Yes. QuillPad is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run QuillPad and SiYuan with Docker?
QuillPad: check the project docs for container support. SiYuan: yes.