MDwiki 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 | MDwiki | Read the Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 19 · At risk | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,187 | ★ 8,390 |
| First released | 2013 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence | GitBook, Confluence |
What are MDwiki and Read the Docs?
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
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
MDwiki vs Read the Docs: key differences
MDwiki is written in JavaScript, while Read the Docs is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for MDwiki versus MIT for Read the Docs. MDwiki is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Read the Docs. Read the Docs is the more established project (first released 2010), while MDwiki arrived in 2013. Read the Docs has the considerably larger community, at 8,390 GitHub stars versus 3,187. Read the Docs 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 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 MDwiki or Read the Docs better?
Neither is universally better. Read the Docs has the larger community, while MDwiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MDwiki and Read the Docs free and open-source?
Yes. MDwiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Read the Docs under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MDwiki and Read the Docs with Docker?
MDwiki: check the project docs for container support. Read the Docs: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MDwiki or Read the Docs?
MDwiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 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.