MoinMoin vs Otter Wiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MoinMoin | Otter Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 373 | ★ 1,544 |
| First released | 2000 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
What are MoinMoin and Otter Wiki?
MoinMoin
MoinMoin is an open-source wiki engine written in Python with a focus on being easy to use yet extensible. It stores pages as files and supports access control, themes, and a plugin macro system.
- File-based page storage
- Access control lists
- Macro and plugin system
- Theming support
Otter Wiki
Otter Wiki is a minimalistic open-source wiki that stores its pages as Markdown in a Git repository. It offers a simple web interface with editing, history, and search for small teams.
- Git-backed Markdown pages
- Built-in history and diffs
- Full-text search
- Minimalist interface
MoinMoin vs Otter Wiki: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MoinMoin versus MIT for Otter Wiki. Otter Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for MoinMoin. MoinMoin is the more established project (first released 2000), while Otter Wiki arrived in 2021. Otter Wiki has the considerably larger community, at 1,544 GitHub stars versus 373. Otter Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; MoinMoin does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MoinMoin if…
- No database to manage
- Long-running, stable project
Watch out for
- Smaller modern community
- Dated interface in older versions
Choose Otter Wiki if…
- Easy to host and back up
- Clean, simple UI
Watch out for
- Basic feature set
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is MoinMoin or Otter Wiki better?
Otter Wiki is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider MoinMoin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are MoinMoin and Otter Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. MoinMoin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Otter Wiki under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MoinMoin and Otter Wiki with Docker?
MoinMoin: check the project docs for container support. Otter Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MoinMoin or Otter Wiki?
Otter Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for MoinMoin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.