# MarginNote 5 vs SiYuan

The clearest difference is rating: MarginNote 5 at 4.5 against SiYuan's 3.9. MarginNote 5 also leads on ratings volume (739 vs 30). SiYuan's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days 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 5 sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months and SiYuan sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MarginNote 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 5 has 739 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of MarginNote 5'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 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, SiYuan every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 5 | SiYuan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (739 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews)** | [3.9 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **739** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 372 MB | 440 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 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app enhances reading and studying with integrated note-taking and flashcard creation. It offers task-based templates for focused learning, AI assistance for content breakdown, and spaced repetition for effective review. Organize your research and master material with a comprehensive study workflow.

**Highlights:** Task-based reading templates, AI-powered content breakdown, Integrated flashcard creation, Spaced repetition review, Mind map organization, PDF and EPUB import, Sync across devices

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 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 (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 enhance thinking processes.

**Highlights:** Privacy-first design, Offline data storage, End-to-end encrypted sync, Block and outline fusion, 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 5 free?

MarginNote 5 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 5 or SiYuan?

MarginNote 5 is rated higher. MarginNote 5 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 739 ratings, while SiYuan averages 3.9 from 30 ratings.

### Do MarginNote 5 or SiYuan have ads?

Neither MarginNote 5 nor SiYuan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 5 or SiYuan?

MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, and SiYuan every 8 days. Most recently, MarginNote 5 was updated on November 3, 2026 and SiYuan on November 3, 2026.

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