# MarginNote 4 vs SiYuan

The clearest difference is rating: MarginNote 4 at 4.5 against SiYuan's 3.9. MarginNote 4 also leads on ratings volume (736 vs 30). SiYuan's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (67% vs 58%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and SiYuan sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MarginNote 4 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 4 has 736 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of MarginNote 4's written reviews are positive against 67% of SiYuan's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, SiYuan weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 4 | SiYuan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (736 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews)** | [3.9 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **736** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 330 MB | 434 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) | [Yunnan Liandi Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583226510) |

## What reviewers say

### MarginNote 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app integrates reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards into a unified study environment. It supports active learning with features like study sets, book compilation, and dual-article views. Enhance your understanding with visual learning tools and AI-powered content extraction for long-term memory retention.

**Highlights:** Integrated reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards, Quick Extend Note and Handwriting Layers for annotation, Study Set for organizing PDFs, EPUBs, videos, and audio, Mind Map and Concept Diagram for visual learning, AI Content Detection for formula and chart extraction, FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm for reviews, iCloud sync across Apple devices

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Subscription to MAX (6 months) | $7.99 | per 6 months |
| Subscription to MAX (Annually) | $12.99 | per year |
| MarginNote Max Annual | $16.99 | per year |
| 14 days Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock PRO Forever (New) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO (New) | $40.00 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX Forever (New) | $51.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 📚 Great for academic/research use
- 👍 Useful note-taking and organization
- 🖊️ Improved handwriting and annotation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🕰️ Slow and laggy sync between devices
- 🤯 Steep learning curve, poor documentation
- 💰 Expensive upgrade from previous version

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing annotations when using extend function
- Inability to restore accidentally deleted mind maps
- Inconsistent behavior with PDF file management

**Requested features**

- Improved iCloud/cloud sync reliability
- More intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Better support for external document libraries
- Ability to disable auto-excerpt selection


### SiYuan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508)

A privacy-focused personal knowledge management system that allows offline use and encrypted data synchronization. It combines blocks, outlines, and bidirectional links to help users organize and refine their thoughts.

**Highlights:** Privacy-first design, Offline data storage, End-to-end encrypted sync, Block-based organization, Outline structuring, Bidirectional linking

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO Features | $79.99 | one-time |
| Subscription | $188.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

MarginNote 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SiYuan free?

SiYuan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MarginNote 4 or SiYuan?

MarginNote 4 is rated higher. MarginNote 4 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 736 ratings, while SiYuan averages 3.9 from 30 ratings.

### Do MarginNote 4 or SiYuan have ads?

Neither MarginNote 4 nor SiYuan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 4 or SiYuan?

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, and SiYuan weekly. Most recently, MarginNote 4 was updated on October 22, 2026 and SiYuan on October 23, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*