BookStack vs Wiki.js
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
BookStack
Simple self-hosted documentation and wiki platform
VS
Wiki.js
Modern and powerful open-source wiki
| Feature | BookStack | Wiki.js |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,974 | ★ 28,727 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose Wiki.js if…
- Flexible and full-featured
- Many auth options
- Good content management
Frequently asked questions
Is BookStack or Wiki.js better?
Neither is universally better. Wiki.js has the larger community, while BookStack is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are BookStack and Wiki.js free and open-source?
Yes. BookStack is licensed under MIT and Wiki.js under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BookStack and Wiki.js with Docker?
BookStack: yes. Wiki.js: yes.