NoteDiscovery
Markdown note-taking app with plain-file storage, graph view, and MCP integration (alternative to Obsidian, Notion).
NoteDiscovery vs SiYuan
Two self-hosted Knowledge Management Tools apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| NoteDiscovery | SiYuan | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Markdown note-taking app with plain-file storage, graph view, and MCP integration (alternative to Obsidian, Notion). | Privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang. |
| GitHub stars | 2,870 | 47,089 |
| Forks | – | 3.1k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 10 |
| Commits (12 months) | 97 | 10.2k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-29 |
| Latest release | v0.34.0 (2026-11-02) | v3.8.10-alpha.5 (2026-11-03) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | Docker, Python | Docker, Go |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $3.5/mo |
| Categories | Note-taking & Editors, Knowledge Management Tools | Knowledge Management Tools |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- SiYuan is more popular on GitHub: 47.1k stars vs 2.9k for NoteDiscovery.
- SiYuan had more commits in the last 12 months (10,170 vs 97).
- SiYuan published a release more recently (v3.8.10-alpha.5 on 2026-11-03; NoteDiscovery's latest is v0.34.0 on 2026-11-02).
- NoteDiscovery is licensed under MIT, SiYuan under AGPL-3.0. NoteDiscovery's license is permissive; SiYuan's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- NoteDiscovery is written in Python; SiYuan in Go.
- Deployment options listed upstream: NoteDiscovery: Docker; SiYuan: Docker.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for SiYuan (~512 MB server) than NoteDiscovery (~1 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: SiYuan leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is NoteDiscovery or SiYuan more popular?
SiYuan has more GitHub stars (47,089 vs 2,870 for NoteDiscovery, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, NoteDiscovery or SiYuan?
SiYuan had more commits over the last 12 months (10,170 vs 97). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-02 for NoteDiscovery and 2026-10-29 for SiYuan. Our health labels: NoteDiscovery is “Active”, SiYuan is “Active”.
What licenses do NoteDiscovery and SiYuan use?
NoteDiscovery: MIT. SiYuan: AGPL-3.0. NoteDiscovery's license is permissive; SiYuan's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run NoteDiscovery and SiYuan with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for NoteDiscovery and SiYuan. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.
Browse all self-hosted Knowledge Management Tools apps.