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Comparison · Collab
SiYuan vs Tella
A side-by-side editorial comparison of SiYuan and Tella — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
SiYuan vs Tella: at a glance
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.
What is Tella?
Tella adds a Free plan, redesigns the editor, and broadens distribution into Intercom and beyond.
Tella is in a sustained editor-polish-plus-distribution cycle. The big change: a Free plan now sits alongside Pro, paired with an in-product AI support assistant. The editor was redesigned with a left-side toolbar, lighter UI, and a new transcript sidebar. New layouts (50/50 split) and finer camera-bubble positioning (3×3 grid plus three sizes across orientations) give creators more compositional control. Distribution widens with an Intercom Help Center integration and a refreshed tella.com.
SiYuan vs Tella: editorial side-by-side
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.
Tella
6.3COLLABMEETINGS
Tella adds a Free plan, redesigns the editor, and broadens distribution into Intercom and beyond.
◆ Current state
Tella is in a sustained editor-polish-plus-distribution cycle. The big change: a Free plan now sits alongside Pro, paired with an in-product AI support assistant. The editor was redesigned with a left-side toolbar, lighter UI, and a new transcript sidebar. New layouts (50/50 split) and finer camera-bubble positioning (3×3 grid plus three sizes across orientations) give creators more compositional control. Distribution widens with an Intercom Help Center integration and a refreshed tella.com.
◆ Where it's heading
The product is leaning into accessible-funnel-plus-creative-control: lower the barrier to start (Free plan), make the editor look modern and inviting, and embed videos where customers already are (Intercom). View notification controls and webhook events for viewer activity hint at an upcoming push toward integration-ready video analytics.
◆ Prediction
Expect more distribution surfaces (Slack, Notion-style embeds beyond Intercom) and AI features beyond the support assistant — likely auto-chapters, B-roll generation, or transcript-driven editing. The Free plan likely drives an experimentation phase before the next pricing/packaging tightening.
Alternatives to SiYuan and Tella
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 SiYuan or Tella.
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 SiYuan alternatives → · See all Tella alternatives →
Recent activity from SiYuan and Tella
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)
- 6mo agoTellaMore camera bubble positions
- 6mo agoTellaView notification controls and new view webhooks
- 6mo agoTellaFree plan, AI support assistant ⚡
- 6mo agoTellaNew layouts, editor improvements, and bug fixes
- 6mo agoTellaNew website
- 6mo agoTellaNew editor design & transcript sidebar
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SiYuan and Tella?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Tella 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 SiYuan better than Tella?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Tella 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 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.
What are the best alternatives to Tella?
Top Tella alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Tella alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tella for the full list with editorial commentary on each.