What is the main difference between Memos and SiYuan?

Memos and SiYuan are both note-taking tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Memos or SiYuan?

The choice between Memos and SiYuan depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Memos to SiYuan?

Migration between Memos and SiYuan is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

Logto – Modern auth infrastructure for developers.

Learn More

Learn more

Memos vs SiYuan

Learn how Memos and SiYuan differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these note-taking tools is best for you.

Memos

Memos is a self-hosted, open-source note-taking app built around a private timeline. Write in Markdown, skip the folder setup, and keep your data on your own server.

Visit Memos Read more

Stars
60,313
Forks
4,443
Last commit
2 days ago
Repository age
4 years
License
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes

View Repository

Auto-fetched 2 hours ago.

SiYuan

Personal knowledge management system with WYSIWYG block editing, bidirectional links, spaced repetition flashcards, a relational database, and end-to-end encrypted sync.

Visit SiYuan Read more

Stars
44,230
Forks
2,822
Last commit
20 hours ago
Repository age
6 years
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes

View Repository

Auto-fetched 2 hours ago.

Detailed Comparison

Both Memos and SiYuan have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Comparable

Community & Popularity

Both tools have similar popularity levels, with Memos having 60,313 stars and SiYuan having 44,230 stars on GitHub. In terms of developer contributions, Memos has 4,443 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Memos last updated 2 days ago and SiYuan 20 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, Golang. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Memos uses JSX while SiYuan leverages Python, SCSS.

SiYuan wins

Project Maturity

SiYuan has been in development longer, starting 6 years ago, compared to Memos which began 4 years ago. This 1.3-year head start suggests SiYuan may have more mature features and established processes.

Memos wins

Licensing

Memos uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than SiYuan's AGPL-3.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Note-Taking, Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). However, they also have distinct specializations: Memos also focuses on Secure & Encrypted Notes.

Comparable