← Back to home
Comparison · Collab

FreshRSS vs SiYuan

A side-by-side editorial comparison of FreshRSS and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

FreshRSS vs SiYuan: at a glance

FeatureFreshRSSSiYuan
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesrss reader, self-hosted, security, dockernote-taking, knowledge base, ai agent, databases
Last editorial update3d ago23h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is FreshRSS?

FreshRSS ships two security releases in a day for PHP CVEs and moves Docker to Debian 13.

FreshRSS has issued four 1.30.x security releases since the 1.30.0 change that blocked local network access by default. 1.30.3 and 1.30.4, both on Oct 21, patched severe PHP vulnerabilities in the official Docker images: Debian first, now on Debian 13 Trixie, then Alpine. The project points users who want faster patches to its rolling edge channel.

Read the full FreshRSS trajectory →

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan 3.8.9 reaches RC, adding AI-agent extraction of images embedded in PDFs.

SiYuan moved 3.8.9 from beta.6 to rc.1 on Oct 28. The RC's only new item is AI-agent extraction of images embedded in PDFs; the rest of its long list matches beta.5's cumulative notes: pinned agent sessions, backlink filtering by database fields, block-reference collection through database automation, resizable table rows, mind-map themes and node copy/paste, TIFF previews and macOS proxy detection.

Read the full SiYuan trajectory →

FreshRSS vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side

F
FreshRSS
COLLAB
5.0

FreshRSS ships two security releases in a day for PHP CVEs and moves Docker to Debian 13.

◆ Current state

FreshRSS has issued four 1.30.x security releases since the 1.30.0 change that blocked local network access by default. 1.30.3 and 1.30.4, both on Oct 21, patched severe PHP vulnerabilities in the official Docker images: Debian first, now on Debian 13 Trixie, then Alpine. The project points users who want faster patches to its rolling edge channel.

◆ Where it's heading

The 1.30 line has become a security maintenance branch, and new features wait for the next major. The team is treating its Docker images as part of the product it must patch, not just the PHP code.

◆ Prediction

More 1.30.x point releases are likely as upstream PHP and base-image fixes land; new features probably arrive with 1.31.

S
SiYuan
COLLAB
5.0

SiYuan 3.8.9 reaches RC, adding AI-agent extraction of images embedded in PDFs.

◆ Current state

SiYuan moved 3.8.9 from beta.6 to rc.1 on Oct 28. The RC's only new item is AI-agent extraction of images embedded in PDFs; the rest of its long list matches beta.5's cumulative notes: pinned agent sessions, backlink filtering by database fields, block-reference collection through database automation, resizable table rows, mind-map themes and node copy/paste, TIFF previews and macOS proxy detection.

◆ Where it's heading

The 3.8.x line keeps turning databases and mind maps into structured tools that act on the block graph, and the built-in agent is gaining reach into document content such as PDFs. The release cadence is fast and noisy, with most builds repeating the same cumulative notes.

◆ Prediction

A stable 3.8.9 is likely within days, with little added beyond fixes now that it has reached RC.

Alternatives to FreshRSS and SiYuan

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either FreshRSS or SiYuan.

See all FreshRSS alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →

Recent activity from FreshRSS and SiYuan

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 RC1: AI agent extracts images from PDFs
  2. 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 6 (same notes as beta 5)
  3. 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 5: full notes incl. pinned agent sessions
  4. 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 4 improves LaTeX paste and import
  5. 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 3 (same notes as beta 1)
  6. 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 2 (same notes as beta 1)
  7. 7d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.4: Alpine image patched for PHP CVEs
  8. 8d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.3: PHP CVE fixes, Debian 13 Docker image
  9. 9d agoFreshRSS1.30.2 closes proxy DNS leak and blocks data: URIs
  10. 23d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.1
  11. 1mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.0 ⚡
  12. 5mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.29.1

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between FreshRSS and SiYuan?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. FreshRSS and SiYuan are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is FreshRSS better than SiYuan?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. FreshRSS and SiYuan are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to FreshRSS?

Top FreshRSS alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FreshRSS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/freshrss for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to SiYuan?

Top SiYuan alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "SiYuan alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/siyuan for the full list with editorial commentary on each.