phpMyFAQ vs Zim

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted wikis & documentation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeaturephpMyFAQZim
CategoryWikis & DocumentationWikis & Documentation
LicenseMPL-2.0GPL-2.0
LanguagePHPPython
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcebinary, source
GitHub stars★ 618★ 2,194
First released20012008
ReplacesZendesk Guide, ConfluenceOneNote, Notion

Why pick each one

Choose phpMyFAQ if…

  • Purpose-built for help centers
  • Mature and stable
phpMyFAQ details

Choose Zim if…

  • Truly portable notes
  • No server needed
Zim details

Frequently asked questions

Is phpMyFAQ or Zim better?

Zim 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 phpMyFAQ and Zim free and open-source?

Yes. phpMyFAQ is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Zim under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run phpMyFAQ and Zim with Docker?

phpMyFAQ: yes. Zim: check the project docs for container support.

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