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Comparison · Collab

Passbolt vs SiYuan

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

Passbolt vs SiYuan: at a glance

FeaturePassboltSiYuan
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score5.06.3
Sparks · 30d00
Top themespassword-manager, shared-permissions, browser-extensions, editionsknowledge-management, ai-agent, mcp, cross-platform
Last editorial update13d ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Passbolt?

Passbolt made shared-resource permissions explicit, then spent a release calming the prompt.

The 5.14 line dominates the window. 5.14.0 introduced explicit confirmation dialogs before creating items in shared folders or editing shared resources, and fixed a security issue in MFA policy enforcement. 5.14.3 then narrowed that dialog, which had been firing on metadata-only edits such as renaming, and now appears only when a secret actually changes. Behind those, 5.13 added in-app switching between Community and Pro editions, and 5.12 took the Safari extension out of beta and added a PIN code resource type.

Read the full Passbolt trajectory →

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan stabilises 3.8.1 after a seven-build beta run, all of it widening the agent surface it opened in 3.8.0

SiYuan has just cut 3.8.1 stable, the endpoint of a beta chain that ran six builds in five days. The release groups into three areas: AI integration work - custom editor actions syncing across devices, an Agent panel shortcut, user-level skills read from a shared agents directory, nested rerank API formats and OpenAI Responses API support; editing and database throughput, including virtualised grouped-table rendering and faster document loading; and cross-platform reliability covering HEIF/HEIC previews, PDF export and mobile behaviour. A batch of MCP and publishing-service fixes rounds it out.

Read the full SiYuan trajectory →

Passbolt vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side

P
Passbolt
COLLAB
5.0

Passbolt made shared-resource permissions explicit, then spent a release calming the prompt.

◆ Current state

The 5.14 line dominates the window. 5.14.0 introduced explicit confirmation dialogs before creating items in shared folders or editing shared resources, and fixed a security issue in MFA policy enforcement. 5.14.3 then narrowed that dialog, which had been firing on metadata-only edits such as renaming, and now appears only when a secret actually changes. Behind those, 5.13 added in-app switching between Community and Pro editions, and 5.12 took the Safari extension out of beta and added a PIN code resource type.

◆ Where it's heading

The recent arc is about making shared state legible before it changes, then tuning that intervention so it does not fire on edits that carry no risk — a confirmation prompt is only useful while users still read it. Around that thread the work is reach and packaging: Safari at parity with the other browsers, editions switchable without a manual migration, new resource types added one at a time. This is a product filling in the operational edges of team password management rather than moving into new territory.

◆ Prediction

The 5.14.3 correction suggests further tuning of which edit paths trigger the confirmation dialog as more cases are reported. Beyond that, the entries point to continued resource-type additions in the manner of the PIN code type.

S
SiYuan
COLLAB
6.3

SiYuan stabilises 3.8.1 after a seven-build beta run, all of it widening the agent surface it opened in 3.8.0

◆ Current state

SiYuan has just cut 3.8.1 stable, the endpoint of a beta chain that ran six builds in five days. The release groups into three areas: AI integration work - custom editor actions syncing across devices, an Agent panel shortcut, user-level skills read from a shared agents directory, nested rerank API formats and OpenAI Responses API support; editing and database throughput, including virtualised grouped-table rendering and faster document loading; and cross-platform reliability covering HEIF/HEIC previews, PDF export and mobile behaviour. A batch of MCP and publishing-service fixes rounds it out.

◆ Where it's heading

This is consolidation of the surface 3.8.0 opened, not an extension of it. The agent, semantic search and MCP endpoint arrived in the 3.8.0 line; 3.8.1 makes them portable and pluggable - skills come from a directory the user controls, editor actions follow the user between devices, and the provider layer now speaks the OpenAI Responses API rather than one bespoke shape. The high beta count against a modest final diff shows a project stabilising a young subsystem rather than building a new one.

◆ Prediction

The next line most likely pushes on the skills directory - discovery, sharing or marketplace distribution of user-level skills - since that is the piece 3.8.1 made user-editable without giving it a distribution path.

Alternatives to Passbolt 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 Passbolt or SiYuan.

See all Passbolt alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →

Recent activity from Passbolt and SiYuan

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

  1. 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.1 stabilises the agent, skills and Responses API work
  2. 3d agoSiYuanSlash menu items become configurable; table column widths distribute evenly
  3. 3d agoSiYuanTable headers left-align by default; double-click closes tabs
  4. 4d agoSiYuanUser-level agent skills and virtualized grouped-table rendering
  5. 5d agoSiYuanAI features move to the OpenAI Responses API
  6. 5d agoSiYuanAgent panel gains a shortcut; blockquote input fixed
  7. 14d agoPassbolt5.14.3 limits the permission dialog to actual secret changes
  8. 23d agoPassbolt5.14 adds confirmation prompts before shared-resource edits
  9. 2mo agoPassbolt5.13 adds in-app switching between Community and Pro
  10. 3mo agoPassbolt5.12 makes the Safari extension generally available

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Passbolt and SiYuan?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 Passbolt better than SiYuan?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SiYuan is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 Passbolt?

Top Passbolt alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Passbolt alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/passbolt 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.