Gollum vs Zim
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gollum | Zim |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 51 · Fair | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,330 | ★ 2,202 |
| First released | 2010 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | OneNote, Notion |
What are Gollum and Zim?
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
Zim
Zim is an open-source desktop application that works as a graphical text editor for maintaining a collection of wiki pages. Each page is a plain text file, making it a portable personal knowledge base.
- Desktop wiki application
- Plain text page files
- Plugin system
- Works fully offline
Gollum vs Zim: key differences
Gollum is written in Ruby, while Zim is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Gollum versus GPL-2.0 for Zim. Zim is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Gollum. Zim is the more established project (first released 2008), while Gollum arrived in 2010. Gollum has the considerably larger community, at 14,330 GitHub stars versus 2,202. Gollum lists first-class Docker deployment; Zim does not.
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 Zim if…
- Truly portable notes
- No server needed
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No built-in multi-user mode
Frequently asked questions
Is Gollum or Zim better?
Neither is universally better. Gollum has the larger community, while Zim is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Gollum and Zim free and open-source?
Yes. Gollum is licensed under MIT and Zim under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gollum and Zim with Docker?
Gollum: yes. Zim: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Gollum or Zim?
Zim has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Gollum. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.