Blinko vs SiYuan

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Blinko

AI-assisted card notes, self-hosted or on Blinko Cloud

Free plan · from $5.99/mo

SiYuan

Open-source, local-first notes built on linked content blocks

Free plan · from $64 one-time

Where they differ

Blinko starts at $5.99 per month, billed monthly (Blinko Cloud Pro). SiYuan starts at $64 one-time payment (PRO Features).
Only SiYuan lists an iOS app.
Only SiYuan lists a browser extension.
SiYuan is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
Blinko also covers AI search and Markdown.
SiYuan also covers linked notes and databases.

In commonFree planWebmacOSWindowsLinuxAndroidOpen sourceSelf-hostableNotes

	Blinko	SiYuan
Pricing	Free plan	Free plan
Starts at	$5.99 per month, billed monthly (Blinko Cloud Pro)	$64 one-time payment (PRO Features)
Free plan	Blinko Cloud Free: 100 MB of managed storage, a personal blog, nested tags, folders and full-text search, with AI through your own API key. The self-hosted open-source edition is also free.	Free: basic functions with local storage, including for commercial use. Data sync and backup between devices are paid features.
Free trial	None listed	A trial subscription can be enabled in the desktop app under Settings > Account; its length is not stated
Web
macOS
Windows
Linux
iOS
Android
Browser extension
Made by	Blinko	Yunnan Liandi Technology Co., Ltd.
Price read from	blinko.space	b3log.org
Checked	Oct 9, 2026	Oct 5, 2026

Blinko

SiYuan

Blinko

Blinko Cloud Free includes 100 MB of managed storage; Pro has 10 GB and Pro Plus 25 GB. Cloud plans are billed monthly.
Custom domains, premium blog themes, the CLI, the developer API and secure sharing are listed under the paid Cloud plans.
There is no iOS app yet (marked Coming soon), Android is an APK download and the desktop apps are described as preview builds.
AI features need your own API key or a local model, and self-hosting leaves updates, backups and security to you.

SiYuan

Syncing devices costs money: $64 once to use your own S3 or WebDAV storage, or the subscription for the official cloud.
The official cloud storage is limited to 8 GB per user.
Refunds are not available after subscribing; the vendor suggests trying the trial subscription in the desktop app first.
Browser access comes from a self-hosted Docker server or a desktop app on the same local network.

Blinko

Blinks and Notes: A Blink is a quick capture for short-lived thoughts and is archived automatically after a period. A Note is permanent, with rich formatting, and a Blink can be turned into one.
AI search and chat over your notes: Retrieval-augmented search answers natural-language questions from your own notes, and a chat lets you ask what you recorded and follow up on a topic.
AI writing with your own provider: Selected text can be expanded or polished, and AI can tag notes or process new ones automatically. Providers include OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenRouter and local Ollama models.
Personal blog and share links: On Blinko Cloud a note can be published to a personal blog. Share links can carry an expiry time and a password, and shared notes are read-only.
Self-hosting with Docker: The open-source edition runs in Docker with a PostgreSQL database, so notes stay on your own server. S3 storage, webhooks, SSO and scheduled backups can be configured.
Apps and plugins: Desktop apps add a quick-note window and a text-selection toolbar, the Android app accepts content shared from other apps, and a plugin marketplace adds extras.

SiYuan

Block-based editor: Everything is a content block. The WYSIWYG editor offers more than 20 block types and 10 inline types, and any block can be zoomed into on its own.
Block references and backlinks: Blocks link in both directions, a backlink panel surfaces mentions that can be turned into links, and global and block-level graphs show how notes connect.
Databases: Database views support relations that connect two databases, rollups across them and templates.
Flashcards: Built-in spaced repetition schedules card reviews with the FSRS algorithm.
End-to-end encrypted sync: Paid options sync devices with end-to-end encryption, using either the official 8 GB cloud or S3 or WebDAV storage that you provide.
Self-hosted server: A Docker image runs SiYuan on your own server for use from a browser, with a lock-screen password controlling access.

Blinko

Open Source (self-hosted)$0
The open-source edition on your own server. Storage is limited only by your infrastructure, and you manage updates, backups, security and AI providers.
Blinko Cloud Free$0
Hosted Blinko with 100 MB of managed storage, a personal blog, bring-your-own-key AI, nested tags, folders and full-text search.
Blinko Cloud Pro$5.99
per month, billed monthly
10 GB of managed storage, premium blog themes, a custom domain, no Blinko branding, the Blinko CLI, developer API and secure sharing.
Blinko Cloud Pro Plus$10.99
per month, billed monthly
25 GB of managed storage with everything in Pro, for larger note and attachment libraries.

SiYuan

Free$0
Basic functions with local storage, described by the vendor as completely free.
PRO Features$64
one-time payment
Adds data sync and backup through your own S3 or WebDAV storage; no storage is included. Shown as reduced from $96.
Subscription$148
one-time payment for a lifetime subscription
PRO Features plus 8 GB of official cloud storage, official sync and backup, a cloud inbox and asset hosting. Shown as reduced from $296 for limited seats.

Blinko

No public discounts listed.

SiYuan

Lifetime license
Lifetime subscription at $148 for limited seats
A vendor post says the $148 lifetime price covers a limited number of seats, then reverts to $296, and that the lifetime option closes once all seats are sold.