Obsidian vs Wiki.js
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
VS
Wiki.js
Modern and powerful open-source wiki
| Feature | Obsidian | Wiki.js |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,797 | ★ 28,956 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Notion, OneNote | Confluence, Notion |
What are Obsidian and Wiki.js?
Obsidian
Obsidian is a powerful personal knowledge base that works on a local folder of plain Markdown files. While the app is proprietary, your notes remain fully local and portable, and self-hosted sync is possible via plugins.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Bidirectional links and graph view
- Large community plugin ecosystem
- Local-first and private
Wiki.js
Wiki.js is a modern, feature-rich wiki engine with multiple editors, authentication options, and storage backends. It targets teams and communities building a structured knowledge base. It is deployed via Docker or Node.js.
- Markdown, WYSIWYG and code editors
- Many authentication providers
- Git and storage sync
- Powerful permissions
Obsidian vs Wiki.js: key differences
Obsidian is written in JavaScript, while Wiki.js is built with Vue. Licensing differs — Proprietary for Obsidian versus AGPL-3.0 for Wiki.js. Obsidian is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Wiki.js. Wiki.js is the more established project (first released 2017), while Obsidian arrived in 2020. Wiki.js lists first-class Docker deployment; Obsidian does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Obsidian if…
- Notes stay portable and local
- Highly extensible
Watch out for
- Core app is closed source
- Official sync is a paid service
Choose Wiki.js if…
- Flexible and full-featured
- Many auth options
- Good content management
Watch out for
- Configuration can be involved
- Version 3 rewrite in progress
Frequently asked questions
Is Obsidian or Wiki.js better?
Neither is universally better. Wiki.js has the larger community, while Obsidian is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Obsidian and Wiki.js free and open-source?
Yes. Obsidian is licensed under Proprietary and Wiki.js under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Obsidian and Wiki.js with Docker?
Obsidian: check the project docs for container support. Wiki.js: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Obsidian or Wiki.js?
Obsidian has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Wiki.js. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.