Otter Wiki 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 | Otter Wiki | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 73 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,544 | ★ 138 |
| First released | 2021 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, Notion |
What are Otter Wiki and YesWiki?
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
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
Otter Wiki vs YesWiki: key differences
Otter Wiki is written in Python, while YesWiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Otter Wiki versus AGPL-3.0 for YesWiki. Otter Wiki is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for YesWiki. YesWiki is the more established project (first released 2010), while Otter Wiki arrived in 2021. Otter Wiki has the considerably larger community, at 1,544 GitHub stars versus 138. Otter Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; YesWiki does not.
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 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 Otter Wiki or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Otter Wiki has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Otter Wiki and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Otter Wiki is licensed under MIT and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Otter Wiki and YesWiki with Docker?
Otter Wiki: yes. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Otter Wiki or YesWiki?
Otter Wiki has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for YesWiki. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.