MDwiki vs YesWiki
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?
MDwiki
CMS-free wiki that renders Markdown in the browser
VS
YesWiki
Easy-to-use wiki for collaborative websites
| Feature | MDwiki | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,191 | ★ 134 |
| First released | 2013 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
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 YesWiki if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MDwiki or YesWiki 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 YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. MDwiki is licensed under GPL-3.0 and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MDwiki and YesWiki with Docker?
MDwiki: check the project docs for container support. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.