Read the Docs vs YesWiki
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?
Read the Docs
Documentation hosting platform you can self-host
VS
YesWiki
Easy-to-use wiki for collaborative websites
| Feature | Read the Docs | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,373 | ★ 134 |
| First released | 2010 | 2010 |
| Replaces | GitBook, Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose Read the Docs if…
- Great for versioned project docs
- Automated build pipeline
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 Read the Docs or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Read the Docs has the larger community, while YesWiki is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Read the Docs and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Read the Docs is licensed under MIT and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Read the Docs and YesWiki with Docker?
Read the Docs: yes. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.