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.
Not the right match-up?
MediaWiki
The wiki engine that powers Wikipedia
VS
YesWiki
Easy-to-use wiki for collaborative websites
| Feature | MediaWiki | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 5,135 | ★ 134 |
| First released | 2002 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, Notion |
Why pick each one
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.