Otter Wiki vs phpMyFAQ
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Otter Wiki | phpMyFAQ |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,544 | ★ 620 |
| First released | 2021 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Zendesk Guide, Confluence |
What are Otter Wiki and phpMyFAQ?
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
phpMyFAQ
phpMyFAQ is a mature open-source FAQ and knowledge base system written in PHP. It supports multi-language content, categories, user permissions, and a powerful search for building help centers.
- FAQ-focused knowledge base
- Multi-language content
- Granular permissions
- Powerful search
Otter Wiki vs phpMyFAQ: key differences
Otter Wiki is written in Python, while phpMyFAQ is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Otter Wiki versus MPL-2.0 for phpMyFAQ. Otter Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for phpMyFAQ. PhpMyFAQ is the more established project (first released 2001), while Otter Wiki arrived in 2021. Otter Wiki has the considerably larger community, at 1,544 GitHub stars versus 620.
Why pick each one
Choose Otter Wiki if…
- Easy to host and back up
- Clean, simple UI
Watch out for
- Basic feature set
- Smaller community
Choose phpMyFAQ if…
- Purpose-built for help centers
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- Interface feels dated
- Less suited to free-form wikis
Frequently asked questions
Is Otter Wiki or phpMyFAQ better?
Otter Wiki is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider phpMyFAQ if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Otter Wiki and phpMyFAQ free and open-source?
Yes. Otter Wiki is licensed under MIT and phpMyFAQ under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Otter Wiki and phpMyFAQ with Docker?
Otter Wiki: yes. phpMyFAQ: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Otter Wiki or phpMyFAQ?
Otter Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for phpMyFAQ. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.