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Comparison · Collab
AFFiNE vs SiYuan
A side-by-side editorial comparison of AFFiNE and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:knowledge base
AFFiNE vs SiYuan: at a glance
What is AFFiNE?
AFFiNE's canaries add managed AI model routing, with OpenRouter support for self-hosters.
AFFiNE's November 10 canaries rework its server-side Copilot: managed model routing with route choices and defaults, OpenRouter and more request formats, and route options for self-hosted deployments, while cloud deployments can no longer set provider profiles. A follow-up resizes images to WebP for AI chats and reports images that fail to load instead of dropping them. Earlier November canaries fixed CalDAV setup and item ordering.
What is SiYuan?
SiYuan 3.8.11 alphas add freeform mind maps and plugin snapshots right after 3.8.10.
SiYuan pushed 3.8.10 through betas and release candidates between November 7 and 9, carrying workspace AI memory, database sub-items and a built-in Markdown editor. The 3.8.11 alphas followed within days: freeform mind map relationships with per-node connector styles, browsing and restoring plugin snapshots, excluding assets from cleanup, a built-in date picker and rich text in database primary keys. Alpha 4 adds search and replace in the standalone Markdown editor.
AFFiNE vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side
AFFiNE
5.0COLLAB
AFFiNE's canaries add managed AI model routing, with OpenRouter support for self-hosters.
◆ Current state
AFFiNE's November 10 canaries rework its server-side Copilot: managed model routing with route choices and defaults, OpenRouter and more request formats, and route options for self-hosted deployments, while cloud deployments can no longer set provider profiles. A follow-up resizes images to WebP for AI chats and reports images that fail to load instead of dropping them. Earlier November canaries fixed CalDAV setup and item ordering.
◆ Where it's heading
After weeks of fixes and dependency bumps, the AI assistant is getting structural work: which model handles a request is becoming configurable, especially for self-hosters. Cloud and self-hosted setups are diverging in how much of that they control.
◆ Prediction
Expect more Copilot routing and error-handling fixes in the coming canaries; whether a stable release follows is not clear from the entries.
SiYuan
5.0COLLAB
SiYuan 3.8.11 alphas add freeform mind maps and plugin snapshots right after 3.8.10.
◆ Current state
SiYuan pushed 3.8.10 through betas and release candidates between November 7 and 9, carrying workspace AI memory, database sub-items and a built-in Markdown editor. The 3.8.11 alphas followed within days: freeform mind map relationships with per-node connector styles, browsing and restoring plugin snapshots, excluding assets from cleanup, a built-in date picker and rich text in database primary keys. Alpha 4 adds search and replace in the standalone Markdown editor.
◆ Where it's heading
SiYuan works in fast public cycles, with the next version's alphas starting as soon as the last one stabilises. 3.8.11 is about polish and editing depth: mind maps, databases and the new Markdown editor all get more control.
◆ Prediction
Expect more 3.8.11 alphas, then betas and release candidates with the same list, following the 3.8.10 pattern.
Alternatives to AFFiNE 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 AFFiNE or SiYuan.
Nextcloud
Nextcloud's November patches lean on preview speed and sharing fixes across three branches.
Mattermost
Mattermost v12.1 puts bots and burn-after-reading messages under the same access rules.
Asana
Asana lets Division admins run their own custom roles, on top Enterprise plans only.
Double
Double turns a recorded Chrome session into an agent that repeats the task.
Hive
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
See all AFFiNE alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →
Recent activity from AFFiNE and SiYuan
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 18h agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.11 alpha 4 adds search and replace to Markdown editor
- 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.11 alpha: freeform mind maps, plugin snapshots
- 4d agoAFFiNECanary 1049: AI chats resize images and report failed attachments
- 4d agoAFFiNECanary 905: managed Copilot model routing (re-release)
- 4d agoAFFiNECanary 144: managed Copilot model routing and OpenRouter
- 4d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.10 RC5: related database views, better LAN sync
- 4d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.10 RC3: AI memory, database sub-items near stable
- 5d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.10 release candidate 2
- 5d agoAFFiNECanary 907: CalDAV setup works with more servers
- 5d agoSiYuanSiYuan 3.8.10 release candidate 1
- 6d agoAFFiNECanary 830: items keep their order after repeated inserts
- 7d agoAFFiNECanary 904: Swift Collections bumped to 1.7.5
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AFFiNE and SiYuan?
Both compete on the same themes — knowledge base — within Collab. AFFiNE 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 AFFiNE better than SiYuan?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. AFFiNE 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 AFFiNE?
Top AFFiNE alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "AFFiNE alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/affine 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.