Outline 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.
| Feature | Outline | Wiki.js |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | BSL-1.1 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 40,682 | ★ 28,956 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion, Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
What are Outline and Wiki.js?
Outline
Outline is a fast, collaborative knowledge base and wiki for teams with real-time editing and powerful search. It targets organizations that want a self-hosted documentation hub. It is deployed via Docker with PostgreSQL and Redis.
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Fast full-text search
- SSO and team permissions
- Slack and API integrations
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
Outline vs Wiki.js: key differences
Outline is written in TypeScript, while Wiki.js is built with Vue. Licensing differs — BSL-1.1 for Outline versus AGPL-3.0 for Wiki.js. Wiki.js is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Outline.
Why pick each one
Choose Outline if…
- Polished team wiki
- Great search
- Strong integrations
Watch out for
- Requires Postgres and Redis
- BSL is not fully open source
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 Outline or Wiki.js better?
Neither is universally better. Outline has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Outline and Wiki.js free and open-source?
Yes. Outline is licensed under BSL-1.1 and Wiki.js under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Outline and Wiki.js with Docker?
Outline: yes. Wiki.js: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Outline or Wiki.js?
Wiki.js has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Outline. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.