DokuWiki 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?
DokuWiki
Simple, file-based wiki without a database
VS
MediaWiki
The wiki engine that powers Wikipedia
| Feature | DokuWiki | MediaWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,694 | ★ 5,135 |
| First released | 2004 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is DokuWiki or MediaWiki better?
Neither is universally better. MediaWiki has the larger community, while DokuWiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DokuWiki and MediaWiki free and open-source?
Yes. DokuWiki is licensed under GPL-2.0 and MediaWiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DokuWiki and MediaWiki with Docker?
DokuWiki: yes. MediaWiki: yes.