Best Self-Hosted Wiki Software in 2026

Quick Picks

Use Case	Best Choice	Why
Best overall	Wiki.js	Modern UI, Git sync, strong auth, low resources
Best for organized documentation	BookStack	Book-chapter-page model, intuitive for non-technical users
Best flat-file (no database)	DokuWiki	Zero dependencies, massive plugin ecosystem, trivial backups
Best for enterprise/Wikipedia-scale	MediaWiki	Template system, structured data, proven at billions of pages
Best for structured apps + wiki	XWiki	Build database applications inside the wiki without code
Best Notion alternative	Outline	Clean, fast, Markdown-native, real-time collaboration
Best new contender	Docmost	Modern Notion-like editor, lightweight, actively developed

The Full Ranking

1. Wiki.js — Best Overall

Wiki.js delivers the best balance of features, usability, and resource efficiency. The Markdown and WYSIWYG editors are both excellent. Git-based storage sync is a standout feature — your wiki content lives in a Git repository with full version history, and changes sync bidirectionally. Authentication covers LDAP, OAuth, SAML, and OpenID Connect.

Pros:

• Modern, polished interface
• Git sync for content — backup and version control in one
• Multiple editor modes (Markdown, WYSIWYG, raw HTML)
• Built-in search, diagram support, and code highlighting
• Low resource usage (~256 MB RAM idle)
• Strong authentication options

Cons:

• v3 has been in development for years with no stable release
• v2 is stable but not getting major new features
• No real-time collaborative editing (one editor at a time per page)

Best for: Teams that want a modern, polished wiki with strong version control integration.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Wiki.js]

2. BookStack — Best for Organized Documentation

BookStack uses a book-chapter-page organizational model that makes documentation intuitive to browse. Every page belongs to a chapter, every chapter belongs to a book, and books can be organized into shelves. The WYSIWYG editor is reliable, and the API is well-documented for automation.

Pros:

• Intuitive book-chapter-page hierarchy
• Clean, fast WYSIWYG editor
• Excellent search with full-text indexing
• Good permission system (role-based, per-shelf/book/chapter/page)
• Active development with regular releases
• Built-in drawing tool and diagram support

Cons:

• Organizational model is rigid — everything must fit the book metaphor
• Requires PHP + MySQL (more dependencies than Wiki.js)
• No Git sync

Best for: Teams that want structured, browsable documentation that non-technical people can navigate.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host BookStack]

3. DokuWiki — Best Flat-File Wiki

DokuWiki stores everything as plain text files — no database at all. Backup is copying a folder. Restore is pasting it back. The plugin ecosystem has 2,000+ plugins covering nearly every use case. DokuWiki has been around since 2004 and is used by organizations including CERN.

Pros:

• Zero database dependencies — flat files only
• Trivial backup and restore (copy a folder)
• 2,000+ plugins for nearly any feature
• Very low resource usage (~80 MB RAM)
• Battle-tested over 20+ years
• Access control lists for granular permissions

Cons:

• Default UI looks dated compared to modern wikis
• Uses its own markup syntax (not Markdown) by default
• WYSIWYG editor is basic
• Performance degrades with very large wikis (50,000+ pages)

Best for: Sysadmins who value simplicity, zero dependencies, and easy backups above all else.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host DokuWiki]

4. MediaWiki — Best for Enterprise Scale

MediaWiki powers Wikipedia — the sixth most visited website on the planet. It handles millions of pages, thousands of concurrent editors, and structured data through Wikibase. The template system is the most powerful of any wiki, and the extension ecosystem has hundreds of options.

Pros:

• Proven at Wikipedia scale (billions of page views)
• Most powerful template and scripting system (Lua via Scribunto)
• Structured data via Wikibase
• Massive extension ecosystem
• Categories, interwiki links, semantic features
• VisualEditor adds WYSIWYG (bundled since 1.35+)

Cons:

• Complex setup (especially VisualEditor/Parsoid)
• Higher resource usage than lighter alternatives
• Administration requires technical knowledge
• Wiki syntax is not Markdown

Best for: Large organizations needing Wikipedia-level features — structured data, templates, and massive scalability.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host MediaWiki]

5. XWiki — Best for Structured Applications

XWiki is both a wiki and an application platform. Its “Application Within Minutes” feature lets you build structured database applications (trackers, inventories, directories) directly in the wiki without writing code. Real-time collaborative editing works out of the box.

Pros:

• Build structured applications without code
• Real-time collaborative editing
• Granular permissions system
• Extension marketplace
• WYSIWYG and wiki syntax editors
• Docker secrets support for security

Cons:

• Heavy resource requirements (2-4 GB RAM minimum due to JVM)
• Slow startup (JVM + Solr indexing)
• Complex administration
• Steep learning curve for advanced features

Best for: Enterprise teams that need structured applications alongside documentation, or Confluence replacements.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host XWiki]

6. Outline — Best Notion Alternative

Outline is a modern knowledge base with a clean, fast editor that feels like Notion. Markdown-native with real-time collaboration, nested documents, and slash commands. It integrates with Slack and supports multiple authentication providers.

Pros:

• Clean, modern UI — the closest to Notion you’ll get
• Real-time collaborative editing
• Markdown-native with slash commands
• Fast search
• API for automation
• Nested document collections

Cons:

• Requires S3-compatible storage (MinIO works for self-hosting)
• Authentication requires OAuth (no simple username/password)
• Smaller community than Wiki.js or BookStack
• Less customizable than traditional wikis

Best for: Teams migrating from Notion who want a similar experience with full data ownership.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Outline]

7. Docmost — Best New Contender

Docmost is a newer entrant with a Notion-like editor, real-time collaboration, and a clean interface. It’s lightweight, actively developed, and growing quickly. While it doesn’t have the maturity of the options above, it’s worth watching.

Pros:

• Modern Notion-like block editor
• Real-time collaboration
• Lightweight (Node.js)
• Actively developed with frequent releases
• Permissions and spaces

Cons:

• Newer project — smaller community and fewer extensions
• Less battle-tested than established wikis
• Feature set still growing

Best for: Teams who want a modern, lightweight wiki and are comfortable with a newer project.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Docmost]

Full Comparison Table

Feature	Wiki.js	BookStack	DokuWiki	MediaWiki	XWiki	Outline	Docmost
WYSIWYG Editor	Yes	Yes	Basic	Yes (extension)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Markdown	Native	Yes	Plugin	No	Yes	Native	Native
Real-time Collab	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Database	PostgreSQL/MySQL/SQLite	MySQL	None (flat files)	MySQL/PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL/MySQL	PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL
Git Sync	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Plugin Ecosystem	Medium	Small	Very Large	Very Large	Large	Small	Small
Authentication	LDAP, OAuth, SAML	LDAP, SAML, OAuth	LDAP, Plugin	LDAP, Plugin	LDAP, OIDC	OAuth required	OAuth
REST API	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Minimum RAM	256 MB	256 MB	80 MB	256 MB	2 GB	512 MB	256 MB
License	AGPL-3.0	MIT	GPL-2.0	GPL-2.0	LGPL-2.1	BSL 1.1	AGPL-3.0
Stars (GitHub)	25k+	16k+	N/A	N/A	1k+	30k+	8k+

How We Evaluated

We evaluated each wiki on:

1. Editor quality — how good is the writing experience?
2. Organization — how well does content scale and stay organized?
3. Permissions — can you control who sees and edits what?
4. Resource usage — how much RAM/CPU does it need?
5. Ecosystem — plugins, themes, integrations, community
6. Maintenance — how easy is it to update, back up, and maintain?
7. Active development — how frequently is it updated?

Related

• How to Self-Host Wiki.js
• How to Self-Host BookStack
• How to Self-Host DokuWiki
• How to Self-Host MediaWiki
• How to Self-Host XWiki
• How to Self-Host Outline
• How to Self-Host Docmost
• Wiki.js vs BookStack
• Wiki.js vs DokuWiki
• DokuWiki vs MediaWiki
• Outline vs Notion
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Confluence
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to Notion (Wiki)
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to GitBook
• Docker Compose Basics