Gollum vs Read the Docs
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gollum | Read the Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 51 · Fair | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,330 | ★ 8,390 |
| First released | 2010 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | GitBook, Confluence |
What are Gollum and Read the Docs?
Gollum
Gollum is an open-source wiki system built on top of Git, where every page is a file in a Git repository. It powers the wikis found on GitHub and supports many markup languages.
- Git-backed page storage
- Multiple markup languages
- Powers GitHub wikis
- Full history via Git
Read the Docs
Read the Docs is an open-source documentation hosting platform that automatically builds and versions documentation from a Git repository. The community edition can be self-hosted for internal docs.
- Automatic docs builds from Git
- Version and language management
- Webhook-triggered rebuilds
- Full-text search
Gollum vs Read the Docs: key differences
Gollum is written in Ruby, while Read the Docs is built with Python. Gollum is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Read the Docs.
Why pick each one
Choose Gollum if…
- Pages are plain files in Git
- Easy version control
Watch out for
- No fine-grained ACLs
- Ruby toolchain required
Choose Read the Docs if…
- Great for versioned project docs
- Automated build pipeline
Watch out for
- Complex to self-host
- Heavier resource needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Gollum or Read the Docs better?
Gollum is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Read the Docs if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gollum and Read the Docs free and open-source?
Yes. Gollum is licensed under MIT and Read the Docs under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gollum and Read the Docs with Docker?
Gollum: yes. Read the Docs: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gollum or Read the Docs?
Gollum has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Read the Docs. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.