Otter Wiki vs Realms Wiki
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 | Realms Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 16 · At risk |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,544 | ★ 824 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence |
What are Otter Wiki and Realms Wiki?
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
Realms Wiki
Realms Wiki is a lightweight, self-hosted wiki that stores all pages as Markdown files in a Git repository. This gives full version history and lets pages be edited either through the web UI or directly in Git.
- Git-backed pages
- Markdown editing
- Full version history
- Simple web UI
Otter Wiki vs Realms Wiki: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Otter Wiki versus GPL-2.0 for Realms Wiki. Otter Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Realms Wiki. Realms Wiki is the more established project (first released 2014), while Otter Wiki arrived in 2021.
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 Realms Wiki if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Maintenance has slowed
- Basic feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Otter Wiki or Realms Wiki better?
Otter Wiki is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Realms Wiki if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Otter Wiki and Realms Wiki free and open-source?
Yes. Otter Wiki is licensed under MIT and Realms Wiki under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Otter Wiki and Realms Wiki with Docker?
Otter Wiki: yes. Realms Wiki: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Otter Wiki or Realms Wiki?
Otter Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Realms Wiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.