Foswiki vs MDwiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Foswiki
Structured wiki and enterprise collaboration platform
VS
MDwiki
CMS-free wiki that renders Markdown in the browser
| Feature | Foswiki | MDwiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 118 | ★ 3,191 |
| First released | 2008 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence |
Why pick each one
Choose MDwiki if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Foswiki or MDwiki better?
MDwiki is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Foswiki if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Foswiki and MDwiki free and open-source?
Yes. Foswiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MDwiki under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Foswiki and MDwiki with Docker?
Foswiki: yes. MDwiki: check the project docs for container support.