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Comparison · Collab
Joplin vs SiYuan
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Joplin and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:note-taking
Joplin vs SiYuan: at a glance
What is Joplin?
Joplin Cloud AI runs on Mistral's EU endpoint with zero data retention.
Joplin added AI in 3.7 (chat, semantic search, MCP), all opt-in. Its latest post names the provider behind Joplin Cloud AI: Mistral AI, called through its EU regional endpoint with Zero Data Retention enabled, no training on user content, and coverage under Mistral's GDPR data processing addendum. Feature releases otherwise arrive roughly every four months.
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.
Joplin vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side
Joplin
2.5COLLAB
Joplin Cloud AI runs on Mistral's EU endpoint with zero data retention.
◆ Current state
Joplin added AI in 3.7 (chat, semantic search, MCP), all opt-in. Its latest post names the provider behind Joplin Cloud AI: Mistral AI, called through its EU regional endpoint with Zero Data Retention enabled, no training on user content, and coverage under Mistral's GDPR data processing addendum. Feature releases otherwise arrive roughly every four months.
◆ Where it's heading
Since 3.7, Joplin's communication has been about privacy rather than new AI capability: a general statement in September, now concrete vendor and data-residency commitments. That fits its positioning as the privacy-first notes app (warrant canary, preload on the HMD Terra M secure device), with the hosted Cloud as the managed AI path.
◆ Prediction
The 3.x cadence (3.5 in January, 3.6 in May, 3.7 in August) points to Joplin 3.8 around December or January, likely extending the AI features within these privacy limits.
SiYuan
5.0COLLAB
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 Joplin 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 Joplin or SiYuan.
KACE
KACE extends its PHP2SHELL fix to the SDA deployment appliance, six days after disclosure.
Mattermost
Mattermost v12 puts user-scoped permissions, private models and audit trails on every agent action.
AFFiNE
AFFiNE's canaries stay on upkeep: a Swift Collections bump follows CVE and migration fixes.
Teable
Teable's Structured Query v2 now reports across multi-hop relations, with a strict mode against SQL.
Readwise
Readwise splits its bundle into Reader-only and Highlights-only plans and renames its first app.
See all Joplin alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →
Recent activity from Joplin and SiYuan
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 RC1: AI agent extracts images from PDFs
- 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 6 (same notes as beta 5)
- 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 5: full notes incl. pinned agent sessions
- 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 4 improves LaTeX paste and import
- 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 3 (same notes as beta 1)
- 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.9 beta 2 (same notes as beta 1)
- 8d agoJoplinHow we protect your privacy with Joplin Cloud AI
- 1mo agoJoplinYour notes and AI: privacy first
- 1mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.7 ⚡
- 5mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.6
- 8mo agoJoplinIntroducing our Warrant Canary
- 8mo agoJoplinJoplin will come preloaded on the HMD Terra M
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Joplin and SiYuan?
Both compete on the same themes — note-taking — within Collab. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Joplin better than SiYuan?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Joplin?
Top Joplin alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Joplin alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/joplin 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.