MoinMoin vs XWiki
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
XWiki
Advanced enterprise wiki and application platform
| Feature | MoinMoin | XWiki |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 373 | ★ 1,313 |
| First released | 2000 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
What are MoinMoin and XWiki?
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
XWiki
XWiki is an open-source enterprise wiki and structured collaboration platform written in Java. It goes beyond simple wikis with scripting, custom applications, and structured data within pages.
- Structured data in pages
- App building within the wiki
- Extension marketplace
- LDAP and SSO support
MoinMoin vs XWiki: key differences
MoinMoin is written in Python, while XWiki is built with Java. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MoinMoin versus LGPL-2.1 for XWiki. MoinMoin is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for XWiki. MoinMoin is the more established project (first released 2000), while XWiki arrived in 2004. XWiki has the considerably larger community, at 1,313 GitHub stars versus 373. XWiki 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 XWiki if…
- Powerful structured content
- Strong enterprise features
Watch out for
- High memory requirements
- Complex to administer
Frequently asked questions
Is MoinMoin or XWiki better?
Neither is universally better. XWiki has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MoinMoin and XWiki free and open-source?
Yes. MoinMoin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and XWiki under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MoinMoin and XWiki with Docker?
MoinMoin: check the project docs for container support. XWiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MoinMoin or XWiki?
MoinMoin has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for XWiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.