SiYuan vs Workflowy
SiYuan
b3log.org
Workflowy
workflowy.comSide by side
| Figure | SiYuan | Workflowy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $148/mo | $6.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Note-taking apps | 9.1 (#12) | 9.1 (#14) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Paid options include third-party S3 and WebDAV data sync and backup; users must provide their own storage, and Nutstore is not supported for WebDAV. | Listed integrations include Readwise, Kindle Highlights, Google Calendar, Web Clipper, and Zapier, with an API for custom integrations. |
| Note sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android,web interface,Chrome/Edge extension,API,Docker self-hosting | web,windows,macos,linux,ios,android,chrome_extension |
| Purpose | SiYuan describes itself as a privacy-first personal knowledge management system supporting Markdown, block-level references, and bidirectional links. | Workflowy describes itself as a note-taking app built around a single, infinite document and list. |
| Storage limit | 8 | 0.1 |
Plans
SiYuan
- FreeFree
- Subscription$148 a month
- PRO Features$64, paid once
- Subscription$148, paid once
Workflowy
- BasicFree
- Pro$6.99 a month
- Pro (annual billing)$6.99 a month
- Workflowy Teams$6.99 a month
- Pro (monthly billing)$8.99 a month
In their own words
SiYuan
SiYuan is a personal knowledge management system for building a linked collection of notes. It supports Markdown, block-level references and bidirectional links, and organizes content into blocks with more than 20 block-level and more than 10 span-level element types. Backlinks can be filtered and searched; relationship graphs are available across a notebook and at block level. Databases support relations, rollups and templates, while flashcards use the FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm. Its AI feature connects to OpenAI for writing continuation, translation, summaries, brainstorming and grammar or spelling corrections. SiYuan supports offline access, and the maker describes multi-device synchronization as incremental and end-to-end encrypted. It is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and the web, with a Chrome/Edge extension, API and Docker self-hosting. The maker says data stays under the user's control on their device. Free access is free; PRO Features is listed at $64 a month with lifetime-use wording, and Subscription at $148 a month with 8GB cloud storage.
Workflowy
Workflowy is a note-taking app built around one expandable document and list. Users can nest items, focus on a bullet by zooming into it, and search across the document in real time. A bullet can become a checkbox, heading, board or table. Tags, dates, backlinks, mirrors and templates help connect or reuse material. Workflowy says it saves automatically and synchronizes across devices. Its API can read and write Workflowy data for apps, scripts and automations. Users can also enable multi-factor authentication with an authenticator-app code and recovery codes. The free Basic plan includes 100 nodes per month and 100 MB of uploads; reaching the node limit brings up a subscription prompt, though users can continue adding nodes. Pro lists unlimited nodes and uploads at $6.99 per month billed annually or $8.99 per month billed monthly. The annual option lists a seven-day trial. Workflowy supports web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and lists a Chrome extension. Its integrations include Readwise, Kindle Highlights, Google Calendar, Zapier and Workflowy Desktop MCP.