Helpy vs Zim
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?
Helpy
Open-source helpdesk and knowledge base platform
VS
Zim
A desktop wiki and personal knowledge base
| Feature | Helpy | Zim |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,481 | ★ 2,194 |
| First released | 2015 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Zendesk, Help Scout | OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Helpy or Zim better?
Neither is universally better. Helpy 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 Helpy and Zim free and open-source?
Yes. Helpy is licensed under MIT and Zim under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Helpy and Zim with Docker?
Helpy: yes. Zim: check the project docs for container support.