Siyuan
SiYuan offers a self-hosted knowledge workspace described as open-source and privacy-first, with collaboration for people and AI agents.
About Siyuan
SiYuan is an open-source, privacy-first personal knowledge management system built around fine-grained block-level references and Markdown WYSIWYG editing. It can be self-hosted, including through Docker, Kubernetes, Unraid and TrueNAS, and offers Android, iOS and HarmonyOS apps along with an API and a community marketplace.
Its feature set includes block-level references and two-way links, custom attributes, SQL query embeds, exports to Markdown, PDF, Word and HTML, database table views, spaced-repetition flashcards and Tesseract OCR. AI writing and Q&A chat are available through the OpenAI API, which involves an external service. Most features are free, including for commercial use, while some features are limited to paid members.
Key features
- Block-level references, two-way links and custom attributes for content
- Markdown WYSIWYG editor with block zoom and million-word document editing
- SQL query embed plus template, JavaScript and CSS snippets
- Self-hosting via Docker, Kubernetes, Unraid and TrueNAS
- Android, iOS and HarmonyOS apps, API and community marketplace
- Tesseract OCR and AI writing or Q&A chat via OpenAI API
Best for: Individuals and teams who want a self-hosted, open-source knowledge base with block-level referencing and Markdown editing, and who are willing to run their own deployment.
Good for
- Open source project with code and history hosted on GitHub
- Can be self-hosted so the workspace runs on your own server
- Most features are free, including for commercial use
Watch out for
- Some features are only available to paid members
- AI writing and Q&A chat rely on the OpenAI API, an external service
Siyuan at a glance
- Category
- Productivity › Notes & Knowledge Management
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Guides for Notes & Knowledge Management
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Siyuan FAQ
Is SiYuan open source?
Yes. The project is open source and the repository includes a LICENSE file.
Do I need to pay for it?
Most features are free, even for commercial use. Some features are only available to paid members, with details on the project's pricing page.
How can SiYuan be deployed on a server?
The project documents Docker deployment as the easiest way to serve SiYuan on a server, and also lists Kubernetes, Unraid and TrueNAS hosting.
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