LeafWiki 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.
Not the right match-up?
LeafWiki
Lightweight self-hosted wiki with Markdown stored on disk
VS
Read the Docs
Documentation hosting platform you can self-host
| Feature | LeafWiki | Read the Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 997 | ★ 8,373 |
| First released | 2024 | 2010 |
| Replaces | DokuWiki, Confluence | GitBook, Confluence |
Why pick each one
Choose LeafWiki if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Choose Read the Docs if…
- Great for versioned project docs
- Automated build pipeline
Frequently asked questions
Is LeafWiki or Read the Docs better?
Neither is universally better. Read the Docs has the larger community, while LeafWiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are LeafWiki and Read the Docs free and open-source?
Yes. LeafWiki is licensed under MIT and Read the Docs under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LeafWiki and Read the Docs with Docker?
LeafWiki: yes. Read the Docs: yes.