MediaWiki vs YesWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MediaWiki | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 73 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,174 | ★ 138 |
| First released | 2002 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, Notion |
What are MediaWiki and YesWiki?
MediaWiki
MediaWiki is the free, open-source wiki software developed for and used by Wikipedia. It is built to handle large collaborative knowledge bases with powerful templating, extensions, and revision history.
- Powers Wikipedia at scale
- Powerful template system
- Vast extension library
- Full revision history
YesWiki
YesWiki is a free wiki engine focused on simplicity and collaboration, allowing groups to build databases of structured information through form-based content. It is widely used by associations and community networks.
- Form-based databases
- Bazar content system
- Simple page editing
- Theme customization
MediaWiki vs YesWiki: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MediaWiki versus AGPL-3.0 for YesWiki. YesWiki is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for MediaWiki. MediaWiki is the more established project (first released 2002), while YesWiki arrived in 2010. MediaWiki has the considerably larger community, at 5,174 GitHub stars versus 138. MediaWiki lists first-class Docker deployment; YesWiki does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MediaWiki if…
- Battle-tested at massive scale
- Huge extension ecosystem
Watch out for
- Wikitext has a learning curve
- Setup can be involved
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 MediaWiki or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. MediaWiki has the larger community, while YesWiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MediaWiki and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. MediaWiki is licensed under GPL-2.0 and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MediaWiki and YesWiki with Docker?
MediaWiki: yes. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, MediaWiki or YesWiki?
YesWiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for MediaWiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.