--- title: "synto vs siyuan" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/kytmanov-synto-vs-siyuan-note-siyuan" tools: ["kytmanov-synto", "siyuan-note-siyuan"] --- # synto vs siyuan *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 2026* ## Verdict Pick synto if synto is an AI-powered markdown note management system for Obsidian users who prioritize local-first operations and personal knowledge management with zero online data sharing; pick siyuan if siyuan is a privacy-focused, self-hosted knowledge management tool written in TypeScript and Golang, specialized for personal digital gardens and integrating with various local storage solutions. [synto](https://github.com/kytmanov/synto) reports 230 GitHub stars, 24 forks, and 10 open issues, last pushed Aug 8, 2026. [siyuan](https://b3log.org/siyuan) has 46k stars, 3.0k forks, and 55 open issues, last pushed Aug 25, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [synto's repository](https://github.com/kytmanov/synto) and [siyuan's repository](https://github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan). | | [synto](/tools/kytmanov-synto.md) | [siyuan](/tools/siyuan-note-siyuan.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Local AI-powered markdown note management system for Obsidian | A privacy-first, self-hosted personal knowledge management software | | Stars | 230 | 45,974 | | Forks | 24 | 2,962 | | Open issues | 10 | 55 | | Language | Python | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Synto is an AI-powered markdown note management system for Obsidian users who prioritize local-first operations and personal knowledge management with zero online data sharing. | Siyuan is a privacy-focused, self-hosted knowledge management tool written in TypeScript and Golang, specialized for personal digital gardens and integrating with various local storage solutions. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [synto](/tools/kytmanov-synto.md) | [siyuan](/tools/siyuan-note-siyuan.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 5d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 10 | 55 | | Stars delta | Unknown | +558 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | -208 (30d) | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/kytmanov-synto/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/siyuan-note-siyuan/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: synto - **Pricing:** freemium - **Requirements:** Min 2 GB RAM - **Adopt for:** Synto is an AI-powered markdown note management system for Obsidian users who prioritize local-first operations and personal knowledge management with zero online data sharing. - **License detail:** MIT ## Decision facts: siyuan - **Adopt for:** Siyuan is a privacy-focused, self-hosted knowledge management tool written in TypeScript and Golang, specialized for personal digital gardens and integrating with various local storage solutions. ## Choose when ### Choose synto if… - synto is primarily Python; siyuan is TypeScript. - License: synto is MIT, siyuan is AGPL-3.0. - Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM. - Tags unique to synto: git-based-wiki, knowledge-base, llm-knowledge-base, llm-tools. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. - When you prefer to keep all your personal notes and insights strictly on your device without any cloud involvement. ### Choose siyuan if… - siyuan is primarily TypeScript; synto is Python. - License: siyuan is AGPL-3.0, synto is MIT. - Tags unique to siyuan: ai-agent, digital-garden, knowledge-graph, local-first. - siyuan ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Siyuan should be used when you require a fully open-source tool that prioritizes privacy and keeps all data locally. ## When NOT to use synto - When you need cloud-based backup or sharing features across devices that support collaborative editing off-site. - If your workflow requires real-time synchronization and collaboration capabilities beyond a single device environment. - For teams looking to integrate their Obsidian wikis with external knowledge bases, as Synto focuses solely on local data. ## When NOT to use siyuan - Siyuan may not be suitable if you require cloud synchronization features provided by proprietary software as it focuses on local-first operations. - If your preference is for a more visually customizable interface, Siyuan's design might have limitations compared to its competitors that offer extensive theming and UI customization. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between synto and siyuan? synto: Local AI-powered markdown note management system for Obsidian. siyuan: A privacy-first, self-hosted personal knowledge management software. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose synto over siyuan? Choose synto over siyuan when synto is primarily Python; siyuan is TypeScript; License: synto is MIT, siyuan is AGPL-3.0; Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Tags unique to synto: git-based-wiki, knowledge-base, llm-knowledge-base, llm-tools; Also covers LLM Frameworks; When you prefer to keep all your personal notes and insights strictly on your device without any cloud involvement. ### When should I choose siyuan over synto? Choose siyuan over synto when siyuan is primarily TypeScript; synto is Python; License: siyuan is AGPL-3.0, synto is MIT; Tags unique to siyuan: ai-agent, digital-garden, knowledge-graph, local-first; siyuan ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Siyuan should be used when you require a fully open-source tool that prioritizes privacy and keeps all data locally. ### When should I avoid synto? When you need cloud-based backup or sharing features across devices that support collaborative editing off-site. If your workflow requires real-time synchronization and collaboration capabilities beyond a single device environment. For teams looking to integrate their Obsidian wikis with external knowledge bases, as Synto focuses solely on local data. ### When should I avoid siyuan? Siyuan may not be suitable if you require cloud synchronization features provided by proprietary software as it focuses on local-first operations. If your preference is for a more visually customizable interface, Siyuan's design might have limitations compared to its competitors that offer extensive theming and UI customization. ### Is synto or siyuan more popular on GitHub? siyuan has more GitHub stars (45,974 vs 230). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are synto and siyuan open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (synto: MIT, siyuan: AGPL-3.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to synto or siyuan? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [synto alternatives](/tools/kytmanov-synto/alternatives) and [siyuan alternatives](/tools/siyuan-note-siyuan/alternatives) ([synto markdown twin](/tools/kytmanov-synto/alternatives.md), [siyuan markdown twin](/tools/siyuan-note-siyuan/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/kytmanov-synto-vs-siyuan-note-siyuan.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, synto or siyuan? synto: Very active. siyuan: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for synto and siyuan? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [synto trust report](/tools/kytmanov-synto/trust); [siyuan trust report](/tools/siyuan-note-siyuan/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kytmanov-synto`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kytmanov-synto) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_