MDwiki vs Otter Wiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MDwiki | Otter Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 19 · At risk | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,187 | ★ 1,544 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
What are MDwiki and Otter Wiki?
MDwiki
MDwiki is a completely client-side wiki engine that renders a set of Markdown files into a navigable site without any server-side processing or database. Pages are loaded and rendered on demand directly in the browser.
- Pure client-side rendering
- No server logic
- Markdown content
- Themeable layout
Otter Wiki
Otter Wiki is a minimalistic open-source wiki that stores its pages as Markdown in a Git repository. It offers a simple web interface with editing, history, and search for small teams.
- Git-backed Markdown pages
- Built-in history and diffs
- Full-text search
- Minimalist interface
MDwiki vs Otter Wiki: key differences
MDwiki is written in JavaScript, while Otter Wiki is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for MDwiki versus MIT for Otter Wiki. MDwiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Otter Wiki. MDwiki is the more established project (first released 2013), while Otter Wiki arrived in 2021. MDwiki has the considerably larger community, at 3,187 GitHub stars versus 1,544. Otter Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; MDwiki does not.
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
Choose Otter Wiki if…
- Easy to host and back up
- Clean, simple UI
Watch out for
- Basic feature set
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is MDwiki or Otter Wiki better?
Neither is universally better. MDwiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MDwiki and Otter Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. MDwiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Otter Wiki under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MDwiki and Otter Wiki with Docker?
MDwiki: check the project docs for container support. Otter Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MDwiki or Otter Wiki?
MDwiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Otter Wiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.