I’ve relied on Obsidian for years, so finding an alternative that genuinely impressed me wasn’t something I expected. Every time I looked around, the same names kept coming up, but none of them offered enough to make me rethink my setup. Recently, though, I came across an app that felt refreshingly different. Instead of trying to copy Obsidian, it takes its own approach to knowledge management while staying true to the local-first philosophy I value. After spending time with it, I realized it solves several frustrations I didn’t even know I had, making it the most interesting Obsidian alternative I’ve tried in a long time.
Logseq and Joplin aren’t the Obsidian replacements I’m looking for
I like Logseq’s blocks, but not the entire experience
I’ve tried both Joplin and Logseq while looking for an Obsidian alternative, but neither has convinced me to make the switch. Joplin is a solid open-source notes app, and I like its simple approach. However, the notebook and note structure feels too traditional for how I manage information now. It works well for storing notes, but I want to connect ideas and reuse information across my knowledge base. For that, Joplin has never really clicked with me.
Logseq comes much closer to what I want. I already use it alongside Obsidian, mostly for journaling and quickly capturing thoughts. I love how everything is organized into blocks and how easy it is to reference a specific idea elsewhere. My problem is the outline-first approach. It works great for quick notes, but longer research documents often turn into endless bullet points. I wanted Logseq’s block-based flexibility with a more traditional writing experience, and neither app gave me that.
SiYuan’s block-based approach instantly clicked
I can reuse information without creating more notes
The first thing that stood out to me in SiYuan was how naturally it handles blocks. Every paragraph, heading, list, and other piece of content is treated as an individual block with its own ID. I can link to a specific paragraph from another document instead of pointing to the entire note. For my research-heavy workflow, this is genuinely useful.
If I’m researching a self-hosted app and write down an important detail about its Docker setup. A few weeks later, I might need the same information for a comparison article. In SiYuan, I can reference that exact block in my new document. I don’t have to copy the text, search for the original note every time, or create another small note just for that detail.
This also keeps my workspace much cleaner. I can normally write detailed documents while keeping individual ideas easy to find and reference. It’s the block-based workflow I wanted, without changing the way I write.
It feels more like a complete workspace than a Markdown editor
I don’t need to install a plugin for every new workflow
SiYuan has a lot to offer out of the box. With Obsidian, I have spent a lot of time finding plugins, configuring them, and slowly building the setup I use today. SiYuan feels far more complete from the moment I installed it. Features such as backlinks, the graph view, document history, templates, and daily notes are already built in.
The database feature is a good example. I can create an attribute view and organize my blog ideas by publication, status, or the app I’m testing. I can then switch between table, board, and gallery views depending on how I want to see the same information. In Obsidian, I normally turn to Dataview or Bases plugin to build a similar setup. I still like how customizable Obsidian is, but SiYuan requires much less work. Instead of building my notes app piece by piece, I can focus on actually using it.
SiYuan gives me more control over my private notes
I can self-host my entire knowledge base
Privacy is another reason SiYuan fits my setup so well. My notes contain article research, random ideas, personal documents, and information I have collected over the years. I don’t want all of that stored in a cloud service just because I need to access my notes on another device. SiYuan stores my data locally, and I can use the app without depending on its cloud service.
This is where SiYuan became even more interesting to me. It has an official Docker image, so I can run it on my own hardware and access the web interface from my browser. Since I already self-host several apps, adding SiYuan to my Docker setup was quite straightforward.
More importantly, I decide where my data lives and how it is backed up. I can keep the server inside my own network or set up remote access on my terms. Obsidian is already excellent for local notes, but SiYuan gives me a more complete self-hosted workspace without forcing me to rely on someone else’s cloud.
The first Obsidian alternative that genuinely tempted me to switch
Obsidian is still an important part of my workflow, and I don’t see dropping it anytime soon. But SiYuan is the first alternative that has made me seriously think about what I want from a note-taking app. It doesn’t try to be an Obsidian clone. Instead, it takes a different approach that fits the way I work today. As a modern, privacy-focused knowledge management app that goes beyond traditional note-taking, SiYuan is well worth trying.
