Feather Wiki vs TiddlyWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
TiddlyWiki
A non-linear personal web notebook in a single file
| Feature | Feather Wiki | TiddlyWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 8,662 |
| First released | 2021 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Notion, TiddlyWiki | Notion, OneNote |
What are Feather Wiki and TiddlyWiki?
Feather Wiki
Feather Wiki is an extremely small single-file personal wiki and note-taking application that runs entirely in the browser. The whole wiki, including content and code, lives in one tiny HTML file that is easy to back up and host anywhere.
- Single HTML file
- Tiny footprint
- Works offline
- Page linking
TiddlyWiki
TiddlyWiki is a unique open-source wiki that can run as a single self-contained HTML file. It is a non-linear notebook for capturing and organizing information, also runnable as a Node.js server.
- Runs as a single HTML file
- Non-linear note structure
- Highly customizable
- Optional Node.js server mode
Feather Wiki vs TiddlyWiki: key differences
Both projects are written in JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Feather Wiki versus BSD-3-Clause for TiddlyWiki. Feather Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for TiddlyWiki. TiddlyWiki is the more established project (first released 2004), while Feather Wiki arrived in 2021. TiddlyWiki has the considerably larger community, at 8,662 GitHub stars versus 900.
Why pick each one
Choose Feather Wiki if…
- Trivial to host
- Highly portable
Watch out for
- No multi-user editing
- Limited at large scale
Choose TiddlyWiki if…
- Extremely portable
- Works fully offline
Watch out for
- Idiosyncratic concepts
- Multi-user needs the server mode
Frequently asked questions
Is Feather Wiki or TiddlyWiki better?
Neither is universally better. TiddlyWiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feather Wiki and TiddlyWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Feather Wiki is licensed under MIT and TiddlyWiki under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feather Wiki and TiddlyWiki with Docker?
Feather Wiki: check the project docs for container support. TiddlyWiki: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Feather Wiki or TiddlyWiki?
Feather Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for TiddlyWiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.