SiYuan vs Standard Notes
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?
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management system
VS
Standard Notes
Encrypted notes app focused on longevity
| Feature | SiYuan | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 45,670 | ★ 469 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Evernote |
Why pick each one
Choose Standard Notes if…
- Strong privacy focus
- Simple and durable
- Apps everywhere
Frequently asked questions
Is SiYuan or Standard Notes 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 SiYuan and Standard Notes free and open-source?
Yes. SiYuan is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Standard Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SiYuan and Standard Notes with Docker?
SiYuan: yes. Standard Notes: yes.