head to head · open source
SiYuan vs thoughtdag
SiYuan has 47,231 GitHub stars, 3,116 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped today. thoughtdag has 782 stars, 75 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. SiYuan leads on adoption by 5,940% (47,231 vs 782 stars). SiYuan is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; thoughtdag is written in TypeScript under MIT. SiYuan has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, thoughtdag 10%. SiYuan was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (local-first), 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 | thoughtdag | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 782 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-15 | 2026-11-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.1K | ⑂ 75 |
| 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 thoughtdag if
- You want the thoughtdag feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and thoughtdag 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 thoughtdag
ThoughtDAG AI conversations that branch on an infinite canvas. Each exchange becomes a node. Wires are the context. Explore a side question, connect useful paths, and choose what the model sees next. Download · Website · Docs · 中文 0.5 update · CLI · Harness · Desktop · How it works · How it differs · Research New in 0.5 · ThoughtDAG × Jev Bring relevant past conversations into the question you are asking now. Find earlier work. The local index searches supported agent sessions and ThoughtDAG canvases. Topic dossiers collect decisions and open questions with links back to their sources. Select what belongs. The…
read the full thoughtdag overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SiYuan or thoughtdag more popular?
SiYuan has 47,231 GitHub stars and thoughtdag has 782. SiYuan has the larger community by that measure.
Are SiYuan and thoughtdag free?
Both are open source. SiYuan is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and thoughtdag under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SiYuan and thoughtdag?
SiYuan is written in TypeScript and thoughtdag 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 thoughtdag?
Choose SiYuan if you want the larger community (47,231 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose thoughtdag if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.