head to head · open source
SiYuan vs Standard Notes
SiYuan has 47,039 GitHub stars, 3,095 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Standard Notes has 6,695 stars, 565 forks, 99 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SiYuan leads on adoption by 603% (47,039 vs 6,695 stars). SiYuan is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Standard Notes is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. SiYuan has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Standard Notes 8%. SiYuan was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (markdown, note-taking), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | Standard Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 6.7K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 565 |
| 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 Standard Notes if
- You want the Standard Notes 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 Standard Notes 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 Standard Notes
Standard Notes Standard Notes is an end to end encrypted note taking app for digitalists and professionals. Capture your notes, files, and life’s work all in one secure place. Why Standard Notes? End to end encrypted sync. Only you can read your notes. Fast, free, and encrypted cross platform sync on unlimited devices. Public source code with ability to self host your own server in a few easy steps. A strong focus on longevity and sustainability. Learn more. Creating your private notes account 1. Launch the web app at app.standardnotes.com. 2. Click Register to create your private notes account. 3. Download…
read the full Standard Notes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SiYuan or Standard Notes more popular?
SiYuan has 47,039 GitHub stars and Standard Notes has 6,695. SiYuan has the larger community by that measure.
Are SiYuan and Standard Notes free?
Both are open source. SiYuan is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Standard Notes under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SiYuan and Standard Notes?
SiYuan is written in TypeScript and Standard Notes 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 Standard Notes?
Choose SiYuan if you want the larger community (47,039 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Standard Notes if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.