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Comparison · Collab
BookStack vs SiYuan
A side-by-side editorial comparison of BookStack and SiYuan — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:self-hosted
BookStack vs SiYuan: at a glance
What is BookStack?
Five security releases in four months, this one closing an import RCE
BookStack's release stream since v26.05 has been almost entirely security patches. This release fixes a range of issues: attachments updatable without permission, XSS through the drawing endpoints, draft endpoints altering non-draft pages, other users' drafts leaking into search results, remote code execution through crafted ZIP imports, and page visibility not updating in recycle-bin scenarios. The feature release it patches, v26.05, added a page contents view, tag API and separately controlled revision permissions.
What is SiYuan?
SiYuan v3.8.4 beta cycle adds agent-controlled database fields, MiniMax image gen, and skill file management
SiYuan is deep in the v3.8.4 pre-release cycle, now at beta.4, shipping a dense stream of enhancements across each daily build. The defining theme of this release cycle is agent-control expansion: the AI can now configure database fields, manage skill files, stream Markdown previews, and use custom AI provider headers — moving SiYuan from a tool where AI assists with writing to one where AI can reshape the workspace structure itself. Mobile UX and PDF annotation improvements are running in parallel.
BookStack vs SiYuan: editorial side-by-side
BookStack
5.0COLLAB
Five security releases in four months, this one closing an import RCE
◆ Current state
BookStack's release stream since v26.05 has been almost entirely security patches. This release fixes a range of issues: attachments updatable without permission, XSS through the drawing endpoints, draft endpoints altering non-draft pages, other users' drafts leaking into search results, remote code execution through crafted ZIP imports, and page visibility not updating in recycle-bin scenarios. The feature release it patches, v26.05, added a page contents view, tag API and separately controlled revision permissions.
◆ Where it's heading
The pattern is a substantial feature release followed by a run of point releases that are purely security, each crediting outside reporters. That cadence suggests sustained external scrutiny of the permission and import paths rather than a project shipping features in small increments. Every advisory in this run touches either permission checking or content handling on import and export — the two places where a self-hosted wiki with untrusted editors is most exposed.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in this stream points to the next feature release; on the current pattern the next tag is more likely to be another point release closing reported issues in the same permission and import surfaces.
SiYuan
6.3COLLAB
SiYuan v3.8.4 beta cycle adds agent-controlled database fields, MiniMax image gen, and skill file management
◆ Current state
SiYuan is deep in the v3.8.4 pre-release cycle, now at beta.4, shipping a dense stream of enhancements across each daily build. The defining theme of this release cycle is agent-control expansion: the AI can now configure database fields, manage skill files, stream Markdown previews, and use custom AI provider headers — moving SiYuan from a tool where AI assists with writing to one where AI can reshape the workspace structure itself. Mobile UX and PDF annotation improvements are running in parallel.
◆ Where it's heading
SiYuan is building toward an agent-orchestrated personal knowledge base, where the AI layer can modify not just content but the organizational schema. The skill file management system suggests an emerging plugin-like architecture for agent behaviors. As multimodal generation (MiniMax image support) gets wired in, SiYuan's trajectory is toward a locally-run AI workspace that rivals cloud-based tools without the data-residency trade-off.
◆ Prediction
v3.8.4 stable will ship soon given the move to beta.4. The agentic features (database field configuration, skill management) will attract integrations from local-first AI workflow builders. Expect MiniMax and other provider integrations to expand in the next cycle.
Alternatives to BookStack 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 BookStack or SiYuan.
GitHub
GitHub Copilot gets cost-aware inference tiers as enterprise AI tooling tightens across the platform.
Nextcloud
Nextcloud runs three LTS branches in parallel, shipping bug fixes and quiet performance wins.
Teable
Teable adds Composio integration and Scheduled Routines, pivoting from spreadsheet to agentic workflow platform.
Happeo
Happeo doubles down on SEO content to own intranet search terms for mid-market buyers.
AFFiNE
AFFiNE ships stable iOS Share Extension imports while patching editor correctness and selfhost deployment
See all BookStack alternatives → · See all SiYuan alternatives →
Recent activity from BookStack and SiYuan
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4h agoSiYuanSiYuan v3.8.4-beta.4: agent workspace control and MiniMax image generation ⚡
- 22h agoSiYuanSiYuan v3.8.4-beta.3: streaming agent preview and MCP SQL fix
- 1d agoSiYuanSiYuan v3.8.4-beta.2: Docker fonts, custom block search
- 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan v3.8.4-beta.1: pinnable documents, rich text tables, remote GUI
- 2d agoSiYuanSiYuan v3.8.4-alpha.9: Serbian language, fullscreen agent dock
- 3d agoSiYuanSiYuan v3.8.4-alpha.8: document pinning, sync improvements
- 23d agoBookStackSecurity release closes a ZIP-import RCE and permission bypasses
- 1mo agoBookStackSecurity release fixes five issues including auth matching
- 2mo agoBookStackURL filtering, redirects and permission checks hardened
- 3mo agoBookStackAttachment metadata leak and file:// export risk closed
- 3mo agoBookStackv26.05 adds page contents view, tag API and revision permissions
- 3mo agoBookStackRate limiting added to MFA verification routes
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BookStack and SiYuan?
Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. SiYuan 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 BookStack 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 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 BookStack?
Top BookStack alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "BookStack alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/bookstack 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.