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Comparison · Collab

Readwise vs SiYuan

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

Readwise vs SiYuan: at a glance

FeatureReadwiseSiYuan
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score6.35.0
Sparks · 30d10
Top themespricing, reader-app, text-to-speech, rebrandnote-taking, knowledge base, ai agent, databases
Last editorial update2d ago21h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Readwise?

Readwise splits its bundle into Reader-only and Highlights-only plans and renames its first app.

Readwise posts a weekly changelog. The October 23 release changes packaging: the original app is now Readwise Highlights, and users can subscribe to Reader or Highlights alone instead of the full bundle, switching plans themselves. The same week adds 38 Lifelike beta voices in 14 languages, rebuilds Daily Review audio on those voices, and makes YouTube transcripts twice as fast without filler words.

Read the full Readwise 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 →

Readwise vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side

R
Readwise
COLLAB
6.3

Readwise splits its bundle into Reader-only and Highlights-only plans and renames its first app.

◆ Current state

Readwise posts a weekly changelog. The October 23 release changes packaging: the original app is now Readwise Highlights, and users can subscribe to Reader or Highlights alone instead of the full bundle, switching plans themselves. The same week adds 38 Lifelike beta voices in 14 languages, rebuilds Daily Review audio on those voices, and makes YouTube transcripts twice as fast without filler words.

◆ Where it's heading

Reader has been the main product thread for months (TTS, Ghostreader on GPT-6 Luna, video transcripts), and the plan split lets it be sold on its own. Lifelike voices are spreading from Reader's Listen into Highlights' Daily Review, so the two apps now share an audio layer while being priced separately.

◆ Prediction

Expect follow-up fixes around plan switching and more Lifelike voice tuning; Lifelike leaving beta is the most supported next feature step.

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 Readwise 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 Readwise or SiYuan.

See all Readwise alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →

Recent activity from Readwise 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. 6d agoReadwiseReadwise unbundles: Reader-only and Highlights-only plans ⚡
  8. 13d agoReadwiseReader fixes: Listen start point, mobile rendering, 3D Secure
  9. 20d agoReadwiseLifelike voices get steadier pacing as TTS stalls are fixed
  10. 27d agoReadwiseLifelike TTS voices, reading themes and a faster Reader launch
  11. 1mo agoReadwiseGhostreader defaults to GPT-6 Luna; homepage redesign
  12. 1mo agoReadwiseRedesigned review emails and Reader API highlight creation

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Readwise and SiYuan?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Readwise is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 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 Readwise better than SiYuan?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Readwise is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 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 Readwise?

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