MkDocs vs W
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?
MkDocs
Documentation site generator for technical teams
VS
W
Lightweight, mutli-user, flat-file-database Wiki engine
| Feature | MkDocs | W |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,317 | ★ 55 |
| First released | 2014 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Confluence, GitBook | — |
Why pick each one
Choose W if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MkDocs or W better?
MkDocs is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider W if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MkDocs and W free and open-source?
Yes. MkDocs is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and W under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MkDocs and W with Docker?
MkDocs: check the project docs for container support. W: check the project docs for container support.