Dendron vs phpMyFAQ
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dendron | phpMyFAQ |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 55 · Fair | 76 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,470 | ★ 620 |
| First released | 2020 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Notion, Confluence | Zendesk Guide, Confluence |
What are Dendron and phpMyFAQ?
Dendron
Dendron is an open-source, local-first note-taking tool that works as a hierarchical personal knowledge wiki on top of VS Code. It uses a structured naming scheme to organize thousands of Markdown notes and can publish them as a static site.
- Hierarchical note schema
- Local Markdown storage
- Static site publishing
- VS Code integration
phpMyFAQ
phpMyFAQ is a mature open-source FAQ and knowledge base system written in PHP. It supports multi-language content, categories, user permissions, and a powerful search for building help centers.
- FAQ-focused knowledge base
- Multi-language content
- Granular permissions
- Powerful search
Dendron vs phpMyFAQ: key differences
Dendron is written in TypeScript, while phpMyFAQ is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dendron versus MPL-2.0 for phpMyFAQ. PhpMyFAQ is the more established project (first released 2001), while Dendron arrived in 2020. Dendron has the considerably larger community, at 7,470 GitHub stars versus 620. PhpMyFAQ lists first-class Docker deployment; Dendron does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Dendron if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 7.5k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Tied to VS Code
- Learning curve for hierarchy
Choose phpMyFAQ if…
- Purpose-built for help centers
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Less suited to free-form wikis
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendron or phpMyFAQ better?
Neither is universally better. Dendron has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dendron and phpMyFAQ free and open-source?
Yes. Dendron is licensed under GPL-3.0 and phpMyFAQ under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendron and phpMyFAQ with Docker?
Dendron: check the project docs for container support. phpMyFAQ: yes.