Feather Wiki vs WackoWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Feather Wiki | WackoWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 900 | ★ 55 |
| First released | 2021 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Notion, TiddlyWiki | Confluence, Notion |
What are Feather Wiki and WackoWiki?
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
WackoWiki
WackoWiki is a lightweight, open-source wiki engine focused on ease of installation and multilingual support. It includes WYSIWYG editing, access control, and file uploads.
- Easy installation
- WYSIWYG editing
- Multilingual interface
- Access control lists
Feather Wiki vs WackoWiki: key differences
Feather Wiki is written in JavaScript, while WackoWiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Feather Wiki versus BSD-3-Clause for WackoWiki. Feather Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for WackoWiki. WackoWiki is the more established project (first released 2003), while Feather Wiki arrived in 2021. Feather Wiki has the considerably larger community, at 900 GitHub stars versus 55. WackoWiki lists first-class Docker deployment; Feather Wiki does not.
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 WackoWiki if…
- Lightweight and simple
- Good multilingual support
Watch out for
- Small community
- Limited extensions
Frequently asked questions
Is Feather Wiki or WackoWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Feather Wiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feather Wiki and WackoWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Feather Wiki is licensed under MIT and WackoWiki under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feather Wiki and WackoWiki with Docker?
Feather Wiki: check the project docs for container support. WackoWiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feather Wiki or WackoWiki?
Feather Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for WackoWiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.