MediaWiki 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?
MediaWiki
The wiki engine that powers Wikipedia
VS
Read the Docs
Documentation hosting platform you can self-host
| Feature | MediaWiki | Read the Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,135 | ★ 8,373 |
| First released | 2002 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | GitBook, Confluence |
Why pick each one
Choose Read the Docs if…
- Great for versioned project docs
- Automated build pipeline
Frequently asked questions
Is MediaWiki or Read the Docs better?
Neither is universally better. Read the Docs has the larger community, while MediaWiki is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MediaWiki and Read the Docs free and open-source?
Yes. MediaWiki is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Read the Docs under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MediaWiki and Read the Docs with Docker?
MediaWiki: yes. Read the Docs: yes.