BookStack vs MediaWiki
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
MediaWiki
The wiki engine that powers Wikipedia
| Feature | BookStack | MediaWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,974 | ★ 5,135 |
| First released | 2017 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is BookStack or MediaWiki better?
BookStack is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider MediaWiki if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BookStack and MediaWiki free and open-source?
Yes. BookStack is licensed under MIT and MediaWiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BookStack and MediaWiki with Docker?
BookStack: yes. MediaWiki: yes.