Compare / Dexi vs SiYuan

Dexi vs SiYuan

Dexi is an all-in-one workspace where notes, bookmarks, newsletters and RSS feeds land in one searchable knowledge graph; SiYuan is a free, open-source, block-based knowledge base with Notion-style databases and local storage. Here’s how they compare on pricing, platforms, linking, search, capture and collaboration — and how to decide between them.

What is Dexi?

Dexi is built on a simple observation: your knowledge doesn’t only come from notes you type. It arrives as web pages you want to keep, newsletters you forward, and articles flowing through RSS. Dexi puts all of it in one workspace — everything you save becomes a note, so one search covers your whole reading life. Structure emerges as you write: #hashtags become tags, @mentions become people and sources, and [[wiki links]] connect ideas into a private knowledge graph you can explore in 2D or 3D.

Search works two ways — instant full-text search, and semantic search that finds notes by meaning even when the words don’t match. Capture happens from anywhere: a Chrome extension, a bookmarklet, the iOS share sheet, or simply emailing an article in. Teams can share individual notes with per-note control, and an MCP server lets Claude and other AI assistants search, read and write your notes directly. Free for up to 1,000 notes; Solo is $5/month and Team is $10/member/month.

What is SiYuan?

SiYuan packs a remarkable amount into an open-source (AGPL) package: block-level bidirectional links, WYSIWYG Markdown, Notion-like database and attribute views, spaced-repetition flashcards, a graph, PDF annotation and a plugin marketplace — all stored locally, with the option to self-host the whole thing in Docker. It’s free for personal and commercial use.

Sync is where money changes hands, modestly: a one-time PRO license (~$64) unlocks third-party S3/WebDAV sync, or you can subscribe to the official encrypted cloud service. The developer is China-based with a very active GitHub, and the app is fully usable in English. It’s single-player — no real-time collaboration — but as a personal all-in-one it rivals tools costing $100+/year.

Dexi vs SiYuan at a glance

Pricing and features as of mid-2026 — check each product’s site for current details.

Where Dexi shines

• One workspace for every input — typed notes, saved web pages, forwarded newsletters and RSS subscriptions are all searchable together instead of living in separate apps.
• Zero-upkeep organization: tags, people and wiki links are written inline as prose, so notes file themselves without folders or manual metadata.
• Semantic search plus a “similar notes” view finds ideas by meaning — you search with today’s vocabulary and still find last year’s thinking.
• First-class AI-assistant support: an MCP server (OAuth-secured) lets Claude search, create and update your notes from claude.ai, Claude Code or Claude Desktop.
• Simple, cheap plans: free up to 1,000 notes, $5/month for unlimited, with team sharing and team-wide search at $10/member/month.

Worth knowing: Dexi is web-first and cloud-based — there’s no offline desktop app or local file storage. It’s a rich-text document editor rather than an outliner, so block-level references and transclusion aren’t the model. There’s no built-in spaced repetition.

Where SiYuan shines

• An unusually complete free feature set: block refs, databases, flashcards, PDF annotation, graph — no plugins required.
• Open source (AGPL) with local-first storage and Docker self-hosting.
• Sync your own way — one-time license for S3/WebDAV, or the official encrypted cloud.
• Very active development with a plugin bazaar on top.

Worth knowing: No collaboration and no first-party hosted sharing beyond exports and self-hosting. The interface is denser and less polished than Western commercial rivals, and documentation can be rough in translation. Capture from the web, email or feeds isn’t a focus.

Which should you choose?

Choose Dexi if:

• You want bookmarks, newsletters and RSS feeds in the same searchable space as your notes — not a separate read-later app.
• You want organization to happen as a side effect of writing, with no folders or filing.
• You want your AI assistant (Claude or any MCP client) to work with your notes directly.
• You want team sharing without moving your whole workspace to a heavyweight team tool.

Choose SiYuan if:

• You want maximum capability for minimum (or zero) money, as open source.
• Self-hosting on your own infrastructure appeals to you.
• You want Notion-style databases and flashcards in a local-first app.

Frequently asked questions

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