SiYuan icon

SiYuan

SiYuan is an open-source cross-platform note taking and knowledge management software. It offers a variety of features including hierarchical note organization, WYSIWYG rich text editing, Markdown support, tag management, powerful search, offline access, and cross-platform sync. The intuitive interface and flexibility makes SiYuan a great alternative to apps like Evernote and OneNote.

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan is an open-source, cross-platform note taking and knowledge management application. Developed as an alternative to proprietary software like Evernote and OneNote, SiYuan emphasizes features, flexibility, and privacy.

At its core, SiYuan lets you organize your notes in a hierarchical system of notebooks, sections, and pages. You can format your notes using Markdown syntax or rich WYSIWYG editing. It also offers conveniences like tagging, powerful search, offline access, encryption, and cross-platform sync through services like Dropbox.

Some key features and capabilities of SiYuan include:

  • Cross-platform support across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS
  • Hierarchical organization of notebooks, sections, and pages
  • WYSIWYG editor with headings, formatting, images, checklists, and more
  • Markdown support with live preview
  • Tagging for enhanced organization and discovery
  • Full-text search across content
  • Offline access and sync through services like Dropbox
  • End-to-end encryption for privacy
  • Extensibility through custom themes and plug-ins
  • Open source under GPL 3.0 license

With its combination of features, flexibility, open ethos, and cross-platform availability, SiYuan is an compelling alternative for those seeking a future-proof note taking and knowledge management solution.

The Best SiYuan Alternatives

Top Apps like SiYuan

Obsidian, Microsoft OneNote, Typora, DEVONthink, CherryTree, Logseq, Roam Research, Notesnook, Zettlr, Trilium Notes, Dendron, MarkFlowy, Tangent Notes, Outlinely, Org-roam, Zenkit Hypernotes are some alternatives to SiYuan.

Obsidian

Obsidian redefines the landscape of note-taking and knowledge management, providing a robust platform for individuals to build a personal knowledge base and make meaningful connections between ideas. Designed with a focus on the principles of local-first and markdown, Obsidian offers a unique and efficient approach to organizing and structuring information...

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote revolutionizes the way you capture, organize, and share information. Serving as your digital notebook, OneNote offers a dynamic platform for note-taking that transcends traditional boundaries. Seamlessly integrating with the Microsoft Office suite, this versatile application enables users to create, edit, and access notes across multiple devices, ensuring that...

Typora

Typora is a popular markdown editor and reader available as a desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It stands out for providing a seamless writing and reading experience when working with markdown files.When editing documents in Typora, there is no preview window - users can see...

DEVONthink

DEVONthink is a document and information management application developed by DEVONtechnologies for macOS. It serves as a central database for organizing documents, notes, bookmarks, email messages, and other data in one searchable and automated system.Some key features and capabilities of DEVONthink include:AI-based classification and tagging of documents using...

CherryTree

CherryTree is a versatile open-source note taking and organization application. It allows users to store information in a hierarchical tree structure, allowing for easy categorization and navigation of notes.Some key features of CherryTree include:Rich text support - Notes can be formatted using bold, italics, lists, etc.Syntax highlighting...

Logseq

Logseq is an open-source knowledge base and note-taking application built for creating a second brain to organize your ideas and connect concepts across domains. It adopts a local-first approach where all data is stored on your device by default and optionally synced to the cloud.Some key features of Logseq...

Roam Research

Roam Research is a powerful note-taking and knowledge management application designed to facilitate deeper thinking and insight. It utilizes a graph database structure that allows users to make connections between ideas and build an interconnected web of thoughts.Some key features of Roam Research include:Bidirectional linking between pages to...

Notesnook

Notesnook is a free online note taking and organizing software. It provides users with a variety of tools to easily capture ideas, thoughts, web content, images, and more in an organized notebook interface.Key features of Notesnook include:Intuitive rich text editor for formatting notes - add headings, lists, bold...

Zettlr

Zettlr is a feature-rich markdown editor optimized for long-form writing and academic work. It provides a clean, distraction-free interface for writing in markdown, allowing you to focus on your content rather than formatting.Key features of Zettlr include:Real-time markdown rendering with support for math formulas, footnotes, citations, and bibliographiesDark...

Trilium Notes

Trilium Notes is an open-source, hierarchical note taking application designed for building large personal knowledge bases. It uses a tree structure for organizing notes, allowing users to create nested topics and subtopics for easy linkage of related ideas.Some key features of Trilium Notes include:Tree-structured notes - Notes are...

Dendron

Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, hierarchical note-taking application. It allows users to organize their notes and knowledge using flexible hierarchies and relationships between notes.Some key features of Dendron include:Hierarchical note organization using hierarchies and tagsFlexible views like graphs and tables to visualize relationshipsFull-text search across notesIntegration with...

MarkFlowy

MarkFlowy is an open-source, cross-platform mind mapping and note-taking application. It allows users to create visualized information maps to organize ideas, notes, tasks, and more. Some key features of MarkFlowy include:Real-time cloud sync - Maps are synced across devices in real-time via the MarkFlowy cloudMarkdown support - Notes can...

Tangent Notes

Tangent Notes is a free, open-source note taking application available for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It is designed to help users organize their research, thoughts and ideas in one place.Some of the key features of Tangent Notes include:Flexible note organization with notebooks and tagsBacklinks to connect...

Outlinely

Outlinely is a free, open-source outlining and note-taking application available for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It provides a clean and intuitive interface for creating hierarchical outlines that can be organized into topics and subtopics.Some key features of Outlinely include:Nested outlining with unlimited levels of indentationTagging outlines...

Org-roam

Org-roam is an open-source tool for managing notes and tasks in Emacs using the popular Org mode format. It helps users build a knowledge graph where nodes are Org mode files that contain notes, ideas, or tasks, and edges connect related nodes.Some key features of Org-roam include:Backlinks -...

Zenkit Hypernotes

Zenkit Hypernotes is a feature-rich note-taking and project management application suitable for personal and team productivity. It goes beyond simple note-taking by allowing users to organize notes, to-do lists, documents, and other content into flexible, customizable workspaces.Key features of Zenkit Hypernotes include:Real-time collaboration - Multiple users can edit...