Notion vs Siyuan note
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $12-$24/user/mo on Notion.
Side-by-side
| Notion | Siyuan note (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $12-$24/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Notion's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Notion controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (AGPL-3.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 80 / 100 |
Why teams leave Notion
- Per-user pricing scales fast for teams ($12-24 per seat per month)
- Cannot self-host, your wiki and notes live on Notion's servers
- AI features paywalled at $10/user/mo extra on top of seats
- API rate limits get tight on heavy automation
Siyuan note answers this by: Self-hosted alternatives like AppFlowy, AFFiNE, and SiYuan give the same block-based docs + databases on a $5/mo VPS, with your data on your disk.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Notion at the midpoint price ($18/user/mo).
| Period | Notion | Siyuan note on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $90 | $4.13 | $85.87 |
| Yearly | $1080 | $49.56 | $1030.44 |
| 3 years | $3,240 | $149 | $3,091 |
Deploy Siyuan note now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Siyuan note a good alternative to Notion?
Siyuan note is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Notion with an ossreplace health score of 80/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the AGPL-3.0 license, versus Notion's $12–24/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Siyuan note than Notion?
A 5-person team pays about $90/mo on Notion. Self-hosting Siyuan note on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $3,091 less over three years (95% lower).
Is Siyuan note hard to self-host?
Siyuan note self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Siyuan note vs Notion?
Yes. Because Siyuan note runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Notion, Notion controls the hosting, storage, and access.