# DS note vs SiYuan

The clearest difference is rating: SiYuan at 4.0 against DS note's 2.8. SiYuan also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 31%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). DS note's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

SiYuan holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 109 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of DS note's written reviews are positive against 70% of SiYuan's.

DS note ships an update every 3 months, SiYuan weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DS note | SiYuan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-note/id918177542/reviews) | **[4.0 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/siyuan/id1583226508/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **109** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | 30.7% of reviews | **70.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 363 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Synology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/321493109) | [Yunnan Liandi Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583226510) |

## What reviewers say

### DS note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-note/id918177542)

Create, organize, and share notes anywhere, even offline. This app syncs with your personal cloud storage, allowing you to manage to-do lists, project information, and memories. Organize with tags, notebooks, and shortcuts for easy access and sharing.

**Highlights:** Note creation and editing, Offline access, Tagging and notebook organization, Note sharing, Sync with Synology NAS

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Data stored on personal NAS for privacy
- 🔄 Reliable synchronization across devices
- 💰 Free alternative to Evernote
- 📱 Available on multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web)
- ✅ Simple and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notes disappear when app left open without saving
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app instability
- 🐛 Copy-paste functionality unreliable
- 🐛 Keyboard arrow keys don't work on iPad
- 🐛 Apple Pencil causes app crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes content erased when leaving app open
- App crashes on startup
- App crashes when using Apple Pencil
- App crashes during text input with swipe-to-text
- App crashes when printing

**Requested features**

- Dark mode for all platforms
- Apple Pencil support for iPad
- Arrow key support for Bluetooth keyboards
- Auto-save functionality
- Offline mode for note creation


### 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 DS note free?

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

### Is SiYuan free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DS note or SiYuan?

SiYuan is rated higher. DS note averages 2.8 out of 5 from 109 ratings, while SiYuan averages 4.0 from 29 ratings.

### Do DS note or SiYuan have ads?

Neither DS note nor SiYuan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DS note or SiYuan?

DS note ships an update every 3 months, and SiYuan weekly. Most recently, DS note was updated on October 1, 2026 and SiYuan on October 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.*