Realms 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 | Realms Wiki | YesWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 16 · At risk | 73 · Good |
| Category | Wikis & Documentation | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 824 | ★ 138 |
| First released | 2014 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence, Notion |
What are Realms Wiki and YesWiki?
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
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
Realms Wiki vs YesWiki: key differences
Realms Wiki is written in Python, while YesWiki is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Realms Wiki versus AGPL-3.0 for YesWiki. YesWiki is the more established project (first released 2010), while Realms Wiki arrived in 2014. Realms Wiki has the considerably larger community, at 824 GitHub stars versus 138. Realms Wiki lists first-class Docker deployment; YesWiki does not.
Why pick each one
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
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 Realms Wiki or YesWiki better?
Neither is universally better. Realms Wiki 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 Realms Wiki and YesWiki free and open-source?
Yes. Realms Wiki is licensed under GPL-2.0 and YesWiki under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Realms Wiki and YesWiki with Docker?
Realms Wiki: yes. YesWiki: check the project docs for container support.