SiYuan vs WiseMapping
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
WiseMapping
Web-based mind mapping for visual knowledge capture
| Feature | SiYuan | WiseMapping |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | WiseMapping-OSL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 45,670 | ★ 296 |
| First released | 2020 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | MindMeister, XMind |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is SiYuan or WiseMapping 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 WiseMapping free and open-source?
Yes. SiYuan is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WiseMapping under WiseMapping-OSL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SiYuan and WiseMapping with Docker?
SiYuan: yes. WiseMapping: yes.