SiYuan vs Super Productivity

SiYuan and Super Productivity solve different problems: SiYuan is a block-based personal knowledge management app with backlinks, a knowledge graph, and…

Best for SiYuan: SiYuan fits people building a connected knowledge base who want block-level editing, a graph view of note relationships, and built-in FSRS flashcard review for studying their notes.
Best for Super Productivity: Super Productivity fits people who need to manage and time-track discrete tasks and to-do items, especially those who want Kanban/Eisenhower boards and direct sync with issue trackers like Jira or GitHub.

At a Glance

 SiYuanSuper Productivity
Primary categoryProductivityProductivity
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFree and open source, with optional paid PRO features and cloud subscriptionfree / open-source
Starting priceFree (core app); PRO features from $64 one-timeFree
Free planYesYes
Free trialNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Mac, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedNot documented
Public APIYesNot documented

Key Differences

Core Purpose

SiYuan: SiYuan is a block-level personal knowledge management app built around bidirectional linking and a knowledge graph.

Super Productivity: Super Productivity is a to-do list and time-tracking app built around task boards, Pomodoro sessions, and issue-tracker sync.

Choosing the right category prevents forcing a task tool to act as a knowledge base or vice versa.

Pricing Model

SiYuan: SiYuan's free tier has no official cloud storage, sync, or backup; PRO ($64 one-time) and Subscription ($148 one-time) tiers add third-party or official cloud sync.

Super Productivity: Super Productivity is free and open source under the MIT license with no paid tier documented at all.

Whether a paid tier exists at all affects long-term budgeting, especially for cloud sync needs.

Knowledge Management Features

SiYuan: SiYuan documents bidirectional linking, a knowledge graph, FSRS spaced-repetition flashcards, database/table views, and PDF annotation.

Super Productivity: None of these note-linking, graph, or flashcard features are documented for Super Productivity.

Deep knowledge-linking features are essential for building a long-term reference base, not just tracking to-dos.

Task & Time Tracking Features

SiYuan: Time tracking and Pomodoro features are not documented for SiYuan.

Super Productivity: Super Productivity has built-in time tracking, a Pomodoro timer and focus mode, Kanban/Eisenhower boards, and integrations with Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Linear, and more.

Native time tracking and issue-tracker sync remove the need for a separate task app alongside a notes app.

Deployment & Sync

SiYuan: SiYuan runs self-hosted or via Docker, with third-party S3/WebDAV sync on the PRO tier and official cloud sync/8GB storage on the Subscription tier.

Super Productivity: Super Productivity syncs data across devices via Dropbox, WebDAV, or CalDAV without requiring user registration, and has no official cloud tier at all.

How sync is delivered - paid official cloud vs. free user-configured backends - affects setup effort and ongoing cost.

Feature-by-Feature

Knowledge Capture & Organization

FeatureSiYuanSuper Productivity
Bidirectional linking/backlinksAvailableNot documented
Knowledge graph viewAvailableUnavailable
Spaced-repetition flashcardsAvailableUnavailable
PDF annotationAvailableNot documented
Database/table viewsAvailableNot documented

Task & Time Management

FeatureSiYuanSuper Productivity
Subtask managementNot documentedAvailable
Time trackingNot documentedAvailable
Pomodoro timerUnavailableAvailable
Issue tracker integrationsNot documentedAvailable
Kanban/Eisenhower boardsNot documentedAvailable

Platforms & Sync

FeatureSiYuanSuper Productivity
Self-hosting / Docker deploymentAvailableNot documented
Free tier availableAvailableAvailable
Paid cloud sync tierAvailableUnavailable
Native mobile appsAvailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

SiYuan

Free — $0 Lifetime
PRO Features — $64 one-time (discounted from $96) One-time, lifetime access
Subscription — $148/year (discounted from $296) Annual subscription

Super Productivity

Open Source — Free N/A

Pros & Cons

SiYuan

Pros

  • Fully free and open source core application
  • Strong data ownership with local Markdown and JSON storage
  • Active open-source community with over 45,000 GitHub stars
  • Works fully offline with no forced cloud dependency
  • Flexible self-hosted sync options via WebDAV or S3

Cons

  • Community and some documentation lean toward Chinese-language users
  • Steeper learning curve than mainstream consumer note apps
  • Smaller plugin ecosystem than more established tools like Obsidian
  • Official cloud sync requires a paid PRO purchase or subscription
  • Company backing and long-term roadmap are less publicly documented than VC-backed competitors

Super Productivity

Pros

  • Completely free with no paywalls or premium tier
  • Open source and privacy-respecting, with data kept local by default
  • Deep integrations for developers with tools like GitHub and Jira
  • Highly customizable board layouts and a plugin system
  • Works fully offline

Cons

  • Interface can feel less polished than some commercial competitors
  • Mobile apps are less feature-complete than the desktop version
  • Sync relies on self-managed WebDAV or Dropbox rather than built-in cloud sync
  • Support is community-driven since it originated as largely a one-developer project
  • The breadth of features creates a steeper learning curve for new users

Use Cases

Choose SiYuan: SiYuan fits people building a connected knowledge base who want block-level editing, a graph view of note relationships, and built-in FSRS flashcard review for studying their notes.
Choose Super Productivity: Super Productivity fits people who need to manage and time-track discrete tasks and to-do items, especially those who want Kanban/Eisenhower boards and direct sync with issue trackers like Jira or GitHub.
Need both: Someone doing knowledge work could keep reference notes and study flashcards in SiYuan while tracking daily task execution and Pomodoro sessions in Super Productivity - the two serve genuinely different layers (knowledge base vs. task execution) rather than overlapping.

SiYuan

  • Personal knowledge base with linked notes — An individual builds a personal knowledge base using block references and bidirectional links to connect related ideas over time.
  • Privacy-conscious self-hosted note sync — A privacy-conscious user syncs notes across devices using self-hosted WebDAV or S3 storage instead of a proprietary cloud service.
  • Research organization with block-level references — A researcher organizes findings and references at the block level across many interconnected documents.

Super Productivity

  • Developer daily task and time tracking — Track coding tasks alongside GitHub or Jira issues, with automatic time logging per task.
  • Freelancer timesheets and client billing — Generate timesheets and work reports from tracked time to support hourly client billing.
  • Personal deep work and focus sessions — Use the Pomodoro timer and focus mode to structure individual work sessions and reduce distraction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are SiYuan and Super Productivity solving the same problem?

No - SiYuan is a personal knowledge management app focused on linked notes and a knowledge graph, while Super Productivity is a task manager with time tracking and Pomodoro sessions.

Does Super Productivity have a paid tier?

No, Super Productivity is completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tier documented.

What does SiYuan's paid tier unlock?

The PRO tier ($64 one-time) adds third-party S3/WebDAV sync and backup. The Subscription tier ($148 one-time) adds official cloud sync, 8GB of official cloud storage, cloud asset hosting, and a cloud inbox.

Does SiYuan support Pomodoro or time tracking?

That's not documented in the facts - SiYuan's documented features center on block editing, linking, flashcards, and PDF annotation rather than time tracking.

Does Super Productivity support bidirectional linking or a graph view like SiYuan?

No such feature is documented for Super Productivity; its focus is task boards, subtasks, and time tracking rather than note linking.

Which tool supports flashcards for spaced repetition?

SiYuan, via its built-in flashcard review using the FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm. This isn't documented for Super Productivity.

Read the full SiYuan review · Read the full Super Productivity review