MediaWiki vs Realms Wiki
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
Realms Wiki
Git-backed wiki that stores pages as Markdown
| Feature | MediaWiki | Realms Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,135 | ★ 824 |
| First released | 2002 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence |
Why pick each one
Choose Realms Wiki if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MediaWiki or Realms Wiki better?
Neither is universally better. MediaWiki has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MediaWiki and Realms Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. MediaWiki is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Realms Wiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MediaWiki and Realms Wiki with Docker?
MediaWiki: yes. Realms Wiki: yes.