BookStack vs LeafWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
BookStack
Simple self-hosted documentation and wiki platform
VS
LeafWiki
Lightweight self-hosted wiki with Markdown stored on disk
| Feature | BookStack | LeafWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,974 | ★ 997 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | DokuWiki, Confluence |
Why pick each one
Choose LeafWiki if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is BookStack or LeafWiki better?
Neither is universally better. BookStack has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BookStack and LeafWiki free and open-source?
Yes. BookStack is licensed under MIT and LeafWiki under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BookStack and LeafWiki with Docker?
BookStack: yes. LeafWiki: yes.