Self-hosted wiki software for a team or company wiki

This list is for anyone choosing a wiki to run on their own server for a team or a company, not migrating from a particular product. The choice usually comes down to practical questions: what has to be installed to run it, whether pages end up in a database or in files, which sign-in methods come in the free edition, and what the license lets you do.

The eight options below span the range: a wiki that needs no database at all (DokuWiki), simple PHP and Node.js wikis (BookStack, Wiki.js), the engine behind Wikipedia (MediaWiki), a long-lived Java platform (XWiki), and three newer collaborative tools (Outline, Docmost, Folio).

Facts about other products checked against their own sites on October 11, 2026. Folio is our project; the order below is not a ranking.

Which one to pick

The lightest possible install, with no databaseDokuWiki
A friendly wiki for non-technical staff, with LDAP, SAML and OIDC includedBookStack
Markdown pages, many sign-in modules, and a Git sync optionWiki.js
A proven engine for a very large or public wikiMediaWiki
Real-time collaborative editing in a modern interfaceOutline, Docmost, XWiki or Folio
Pages as Markdown files in your own Git repositoryFolio

How we chose

We looked for tools you can run yourself or own locally, and compared each one on the same points. Every fact below comes from the project's own website or repository; the links are at the end.

What it takes to run: runtime, database and extra services.
Where pages live: a database, plain files, or a Git repository.
License: open source (OSI-approved), source-available, or open core.
Editing: Markdown, visual, wiki syntax, and real-time editing where documented.
Sign-in options in the free edition.
Price: what is free and what is paid.

How to read this list

A self-hosted wiki is a small service you now operate: updates, backups, TLS and user accounts are yours. The lighter the install, the less of that there is, which is why DokuWiki and BookStack stay popular. The collaborative tools in the second half of the list (Outline, Docmost, Folio, XWiki) ask for more: a database, often Redis, and in Outline's case an authentication provider and file storage.

"Open source" is not uniform here. MIT, GPL, LGPL and AGPL are OSI-approved licenses with different obligations. Outline's Business Source License is source-available, not open source, and Docmost keeps its enterprise features under a separate license. We say which applies in each card.

8 options, one by one

1. BookStack

Official site

A documentation platform with a deliberately simple structure: books, chapters and pages. The page editor is WYSIWYG, with an optional Markdown editor.

License: MIT
Hosting: Self-hosted (PHP with Laravel and MySQL; a Docker option exists). Source on Codeberg.
Price: Free. Paid support plans are available.

Strengths

LDAP, SAML 2.0 and OIDC sign-in plus multi-factor authentication, all free.
Light enough to run on a small VPS; a built-in diagrams.net editor; a REST API.
One free edition, with no paid feature tier.

Drawbacks

Content is stored mainly as HTML.
The three-level structure is fixed.
We did not find real-time co-editing documented on its feature pages.

Best for: A team that wants an easy-to-run wiki that non-technical colleagues can use on day one.

2. Wiki.js

Official site

A feature-rich open-source wiki with Markdown, visual and HTML editors, a version history with comparison, and a modular design. The stable line is 2.5.314; 3.0 is in beta.

License: AGPL-3.0
Hosting: Self-hosted (Node.js; PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server or SQLite; Docker image).
Price: Free.

Strengths

Many sign-in modules: LDAP, SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, Okta, Azure AD, social logins, with two-factor authentication.
A Git storage module that syncs with a remote repository.
Runs on a wide range of databases.

Drawbacks

The Git module needs a repository dedicated to Wiki.js.
The next major version is still in beta.

Best for: A team that wants a Markdown wiki with broad sign-in choices and a free license.

3. DokuWiki

Official site

A simple, versatile wiki that stores all content as plain text files, so there is no database to run or back up separately. It has built-in access control lists and a large range of plugins.

License: GPL 2
Hosting: Self-hosted (a PHP web server; no database).
Price: Free.

Strengths

No database: one service, lower requirements, and pages that stay readable as text.
Built-in access control lists and many extensions.
Translated into more than 50 languages.

Drawbacks

Pages use DokuWiki's own wiki syntax.
We did not review its real-time editing or AI features.

Best for: A small team or an intranet that wants the lightest, most durable install.

4. MediaWiki

Official site

The software that runs Wikipedia: free and open source, extensible, multilingual and reliable at a very large scale. Pages are written in wiki markup, and a VisualEditor extension exists.

License: GPL 2.0 or later
Hosting: Self-hosted (PHP, a web server and a database such as MariaDB).
Price: Free.

Strengths

Proven at huge scale, with hundreds of extensions.
A large community and long track record.
Free, with no paid tier.

Drawbacks

An encyclopedia engine: teams usually add extensions to get team-wiki features.
Wiki markup is an extra thing to learn.
We did not review its real-time editing or AI features.

Best for: A large or public knowledge base, run by people comfortable configuring PHP software.

5. XWiki

Official site

A wiki platform developed for more than 20 years, with a WYSIWYG editor, wiki syntax, rights management and a large catalog of extensions, used as a knowledge base, intranet or application platform.

License: LGPL 2.1
Hosting: Self-hosted (Java).
Price: Free software; paid extensions are sold in the XWiki store.

Strengths

Real-time WYSIWYG editing is bundled and enabled by default from XWiki 16.9.0.
Strong rights management and a rich extension ecosystem.
A documented migration path from Confluence.

Drawbacks

A larger platform to run and learn than a single-purpose wiki.
We did not review its sign-in options or AI features.

Best for: An organization that wants a mature, extensible platform and has the capacity to administer it.

6. Outline

Official site

A polished team wiki with real-time editing, comments, an API and an MCP server. It needs a dedicated domain and an authentication provider.

License: Business Source License 1.1: source-available, not an open-source license; becomes Apache 2.0 on 2030-09-09
Hosting: Hosted cloud, or self-hosted with Docker, PostgreSQL 14+ and Redis 4+, on a Unix system with at least 512 MB of memory (1 GB or more recommended).
Price: Cloud: $10, $79 or $249 a month for 1-10, 11-100 or 101-200 members, 30-day trial. The community edition is free to self-host.

Strengths

Real-time collaborative editing; Markdown is converted as you type or paste.
A documented API, webhooks and an MCP server.
Business and Enterprise add SAML and an audit log.

Drawbacks

Not open source: the license forbids offering it as a service to third parties.
The heaviest install here: PostgreSQL, Redis, file storage and an authentication provider.
SAML and the audit log are not in the free edition.

Best for: A team that wants a polished collaborative wiki and has the operations skills, or pays for the cloud.

7. Docmost

Official site

An open-source collaborative wiki with real-time collaboration, spaces and full-text search in the free edition, and SSO, AI and granular permissions in paid ones.

License: AGPL-3.0 for the core; the enterprise features are under a separate Docmost Enterprise license
Hosting: Self-managed (Docker is the recommended install; its guide uses PostgreSQL and Redis).
Price: Community: free. Business: $6 per seat per month billed annually, minimum 10 seats. Enterprise: custom.

Strengths

A free core with real-time editing.
Runs air-gapped.
Paid editions add SSO (SAML 2.0, OIDC, LDAP), AI and MCP.

Drawbacks

SSO and page-level permissions are not in the free edition.
Business has a 10-seat minimum.

Best for: A team that wants a modern collaborative wiki with a free core and a paid route to SSO.

8. Folio

Our projectOfficial site

A wiki whose pages are Markdown files in your own Git repository: the database holds the index, access rights and live-editing state, never the only copy of your words. Real-time editing in the browser, edits from your IDE, and agents over MCP all work on the same files.

License: MIT
Hosting: Self-hosted (Docker, PostgreSQL and Redis; needs a long-running process, a persistent disk and WebSocket connections, so no serverless hosting). No hosted version.
Price: Free software. You pay for your server, and for a Cursor subscription if you want the built-in assistant.

Strengths

Pages are readable files in Git: review, branch, revert and back up like code.
Real-time editing, page rights, history, search, tables, forms and whiteboards in one tree.
MIT license; one command to start with Docker.

Drawbacks

No SSO, SCIM or user groups: sign-in is email and password, optionally Google.
No native mobile apps; the interface is responsive.
The built-in assistant needs a Cursor subscription; other providers are not supported yet.
A young project with a small community.

Best for: Teams that want the wiki to be a Git repository, with agents working on the same Markdown.

Self-hosted wikis compared

As of October 2026.

Self-hosted wikis compared, as of October 2026
Product	License	What it needs	Where pages live	Editing	Sign-in	Price
BookStack	MIT	PHP, MySQL (Docker option)	Database, mostly as HTML	WYSIWYG, optional Markdown	Email, LDAP, SAML 2.0, OIDC, MFA	Free; paid support
Wiki.js	AGPL-3.0	Node.js and a database (or SQLite)	Database; optional Git sync	Markdown, visual, HTML	LDAP, SAML 2.0, OIDC and more, 2FA	Free
DokuWiki	GPL 2	PHP web server, no database	Plain text files	Wiki syntax	Built-in access control lists	Free
MediaWiki	GPL 2.0 or later	PHP, web server, database	Database	Wiki markup; VisualEditor extension	Not reviewed	Free
XWiki	LGPL 2.1	Java	Not reviewed	WYSIWYG and wiki syntax; real-time WYSIWYG	Not reviewed	Free; paid extensions
Outline	BSL 1.1 (source-available)	Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, file storage, auth provider	PostgreSQL, attachments in S3-compatible storage or disk	Real-time, rich text with Markdown	An authentication provider; SAML in licensed editions	Cloud from $10 a month; community self-host free
Docmost	AGPL-3.0 core, enterprise features separate	Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis	Not reviewed	Real-time collaborative editor	SSO (SAML, OIDC, LDAP) in Business	Community free; Business $6 per seat per month, annual, 10-seat minimum
Folio (our project)	MIT	Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis	Markdown files in Git	Real-time, live Markdown, source view	Email and password, optionally Google; no SSO	Free software

As of October 2026. "Not reviewed" means we did not check that point, not that the feature is missing. Prices are those listed on each vendor's site on October 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

What is the easiest self-hosted wiki to run?

DokuWiki needs only a PHP web server, because it stores pages as plain text files and has no database. BookStack needs PHP and MySQL and runs on modest hardware. Wiki.js needs Node.js and a database, or SQLite. Outline is the heaviest: PostgreSQL, Redis, file storage and an authentication provider.

Which self-hosted wiki is fully free and open source?

BookStack (MIT), Folio (MIT), DokuWiki (GPL 2), MediaWiki (GPL 2.0 or later), XWiki (LGPL 2.1) and Wiki.js (AGPL-3.0) each have a single free edition. Docmost's core is AGPL-3.0 but its SSO, AI and some permissions are paid. Outline's Business Source License is source-available, not open source.

Which wikis store pages as plain files?

DokuWiki stores everything as plain text files, and Folio stores pages as Markdown files in a Git repository. Wiki.js can sync pages to a Git repository but keeps them in its database. BookStack and Outline keep content in a database.

Which self-hosted wikis include SSO for free?

BookStack includes LDAP, SAML 2.0 and OIDC, and Wiki.js includes LDAP, SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect and more. Docmost has SSO in its paid Business edition, and Outline offers SAML in licensed editions. Folio has no SSO; sign-in is email and password, optionally Google.

Can I run a company wiki for free?

Yes. BookStack, Wiki.js, DokuWiki, MediaWiki, XWiki and Folio are free software, and you pay only for the server. Plan for the work too: updates, backups, TLS and user management are yours, and paid editions of Docmost and Outline exist for the features they leave out of the free ones.

Compare Folio in detail

Folio vs. a conventional wiki Folio vs. MediaWiki Folio vs. Outline Open-source and self-hosted Confluence alternatives Self-hosted and open-source Notion alternatives

See whether Folio fits your team.

Open the public demo with no sign-up, or run it yourself with Docker. Folio is MIT licensed.

Try the demo Install Folio

Sources (29 links, checked 2026-10-11)

Prices, licenses and features on this page come from these pages. Vendors change them; if you see something out of date, tell us on GitHub and we will fix it.