SiYuan – A Powerful Note-Taking Tool

Productivity Software
June 17, 2025
0
393
4 minutes read

SiYuan is a free and open-source application for note-taking and knowledge management. It is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and as a web service.

What is SiYuan?

The name SiYuan (思源), loosely translated from Chinese, means: “remember the source”.

SiYuan is an application for structured information capture. In other words, it is a combination of a text editor, knowledge base, and idea organization tool. The core philosophy of the app is based on the concept of blocks as the fundamental units of information. Every paragraph, list, image, or any other element becomes a unique block with its own identifier.

SiYuan relies on the outliner approach, meaning that each note acts as a node in a hierarchical or networked structure that can be linked, named, referenced, and synchronized. This allows ideas to be more easily organized, grouped, and nested. Backlinks between notes are automatically created through these connections.

SiYuan features an advanced Markdown editor. This document format is easily readable and provides universal compatibility. Notes can include tables, mathematical formulas (LaTeX), images, source code, diagrams, and much more.

The app includes a powerful search function, enhanced by support for tags. All notes are stored in a local SQLite database. For additional privacy, end-to-end encryption can be enabled. SiYuan also supports themes, plugins, and user scripts for customization.

The application works fully offline. The developers also offer a cloud synchronization version, available via subscription. Users can install their own SiYuan server and access their notes from any device using a browser or the mobile app.

Who is SiYuan for?

SiYuan is an innovative app that gives users full control over their information. Unlike most similar applications, it doesn’t rely on cloud services or account logins.

In addition to being free, it is open-source, allowing users with programming knowledge to verify its security or adapt it to their needs.

The English documentation is not fully complete, which may be a drawback, especially considering the time needed to learn the concepts on which the app is based. There is no integration with third-party cloud services, except for the aforementioned SiYuan Sync subscription service. To use the mobile app with full functionality, a server installation is required.

SiYuan is suitable for working with long texts and complex projects. Despite its visually rich interface, the response to user input is fast. SiYuan is closer in concept to apps like Obsidian, AnyType, and Logseq, rather than Evernote or OneNote.

SiYuan is ideal for building personal knowledge bases. It can serve as a document manager for academic work. Developers use it to create notes with code and references. Students organize their lectures with it. Researchers benefit from its ability to structurally record literature and sources.

Platform:
Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, and web service