MoinMoin 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 | MoinMoin | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 73 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 373 | ★ 138 |
| First released | 2000 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
What are MoinMoin and YesWiki?
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
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
MoinMoin vs YesWiki: key differences
MoinMoin is written in Python, while YesWiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MoinMoin versus AGPL-3.0 for YesWiki. MoinMoin is the more established project (first released 2000), while YesWiki arrived in 2010. MoinMoin has the considerably larger community, at 373 GitHub stars versus 138.
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 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 MoinMoin or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. MoinMoin 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 MoinMoin and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. MoinMoin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MoinMoin and YesWiki with Docker?
MoinMoin: check the project docs for container support. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.