head to head · open source
SiYuan vs Darkwrite
SiYuan has 47,039 GitHub stars, 3,095 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Darkwrite has 320 stars, 15 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 19 days ago. SiYuan leads on adoption by 14,600% (47,039 vs 320 stars). SiYuan is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Darkwrite is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. SiYuan has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Darkwrite 5%. SiYuan was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| SiYuan | Darkwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 320 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 15 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SiYuan if
- You weight community size — 47K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Darkwrite if
- You want the Darkwrite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Darkwrite fits your workflow better
About SiYuan
From thought to insight, with agents English 中文 日本語 Türkçe Table of Contents 💡 Introduction 🔮 Features 🏗️ Architecture and Ecosystem 🗺️ Roadmap 🚀 Download Setup App Market Installation Package Package Manager Docker Hosting Unraid Hosting TrueNAS Hosting Test Channels ⌨️ Command line Interface 🏘️ Community 🛠️ Development Guide ❓ FAQ How does SiYuan store data? Does it support data synchronization through a third party sync disk? Is SiYuan open source? How to upgrade to a new version? What if some blocks (such as paragraph blocks in list items) cannot find the block icon? What should I do if the data repo…
read the full SiYuan overview →
About Darkwrite
Follow on Twitter Download Darkwrite Report bugs 📓 Take notes the way you want. ✒️ Darkwrite lets you take notes without getting in your way. Head over to the releases page to get started. ⭐ Star this repository to know when we release new updates. 🖊️ Just start typing. 🖋️ Unleash the power of a rich editor which supports formatting, headings, todo lists, numbered lists, links, images, tables and much more. 🖌️ Make it yours. 🎨 Choose from the selection of included themes or create your own. Say goodbye to boring light and dark themes. ✒️ Pick the fonts you like. You can change the default styles for your…
read the full Darkwrite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SiYuan or Darkwrite more popular?
SiYuan has 47,039 GitHub stars and Darkwrite has 320. SiYuan has the larger community by that measure.
Are SiYuan and Darkwrite free?
Both are open source. SiYuan is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Darkwrite under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SiYuan and Darkwrite?
SiYuan is written in TypeScript and Darkwrite in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, SiYuan or Darkwrite?
Choose SiYuan if you want the larger community (47,039 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Darkwrite if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.