# SiYuan vs Databag

The clearest difference is rating: Databag at 5.0 against SiYuan's 4.0. Databag also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 70%). SiYuan's advantage is ratings volume (29 vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SiYuan sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Databag asks for nothing beyond the download.

Databag holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SiYuan has 29 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of SiYuan's written reviews are positive against 100% of Databag's.

SiYuan ships an update weekly, Databag fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SiYuan | Databag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/databag/id6443741428/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **29** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 419 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yunnan Liandi Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583226510) | [Roland Osborne](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492503923) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Databag

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/databag/id6443741428)

This self-hosted messaging service offers decentralized and federated communication with end-to-end encryption. Organize conversations by topic and enjoy low latency with mobile alerts for new messages and calls.

**Highlights:** Decentralized communication, Federated accounts, End-to-end encryption, Topic-based threads, Audio and video calls, Mobile alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SiYuan free?

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

### Is Databag free?

Databag is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SiYuan or Databag?

Databag is rated higher. SiYuan averages 4.0 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Databag averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do SiYuan or Databag have ads?

Neither SiYuan nor Databag shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SiYuan or Databag?

SiYuan ships an update weekly, and Databag fortnightly. Most recently, SiYuan was updated on October 15, 2026 and Databag on September 23, 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.*