7 self-hosted options
Self-hosted alternatives to Confluence
The best open-source alternative to Confluence is Wiki.js (AGPL-3.0, 29,091 GitHub stars, Docker image). docmost Community Edition stands out for the newest codebase (created August 2023), and BookStack stands out for a permissive MIT license.
Outline is also listed but is source-available, so it comes after the open-source picks.
About Confluence: Atlassian's team wiki and documentation workspace.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Wiki.js
requarks/wiki
Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Wikis & Knowledge BasesTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
docmost Community Edition
docmost/docmost
Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Wikis & Knowledge BasesTypeScriptDockerStands out for the newest codebase (created August 2023).
- Rank 3:
BookStack
BookStackApp/BookStack
Simple, self-hosted, easy-to-use platform for organising and storing information.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Wikis & Knowledge BasesPHPDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license.
At a glance
Confluence alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiki.js | the most GitHub stars | AGPL-3.0 | 29,091 | 274 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| docmost Community Edition | the newest codebase (created August 2023) | AGPL-3.0 | 22,100 | 469 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| BookStack | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 19,098 | 434 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Dokuwiki | the longest track record (since 2010) | GPL-2.0 | 4,732 | 484 | Sep 29, 2026 | No |
| Otter Wiki | the most commits in the last 12 months (611) | MIT | 1,566 | 611 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| XWiki | – | LGPL-2.1 | 1,325 | 3,683 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| Outline | – | source-available, BSL 1.1 | 41,061 | 2,377 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
Full list
All 7 Confluence alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Wiki.js
Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Wiki.js has 29,091 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 274 commits in the last year.
- 2
docmost Community Edition
Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerStands out for the newest codebase (created August 2023). docmost Community Edition has 22,100 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 469 commits in the last year.
- 3
BookStack
Simple, self-hosted, easy-to-use platform for organising and storing information.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. BookStack has 19,098 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 434 commits in the last year.
- 4
Dokuwiki
Easy to use, lightweight, standards-compliant wiki engine with a simple syntax allowing reading the data outside the wiki. All data is stored in plain text files, therefore no database is required.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesStands out for the longest track record (since 2010). Dokuwiki has 4,732 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 484 commits in the last year.
- 5
Otter Wiki
Simple, easy to use wiki software using markdown.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (611). Otter Wiki has 1,566 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 611 commits in the last year.
- 6
XWiki
Second generation wiki that allows the user to extend its functionalities with a powerful extension-based architecture.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerXWiki has 1,325 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-2.1 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,683 commits in the last year.
- 7
Outline
Extensible wiki for your team.
Source-availableWikis & Knowledge BasesDockerOutline has 41,061 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,377 commits in the last year.
Is there a free alternative to Confluence?
Yes. 6 of the 7 apps on this page are open source; 1 is source-available. The open-source ones are free to self-host without per-user fees; source-available licenses add conditions such as user caps or limits on hosted use, so read them before you commit.
Can I self-host an alternative to Confluence with Docker?
Yes. 6 of the 7 apps here publish a Docker image, including Wiki.js, docmost Community Edition and BookStack, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Confluence alternative is the most actively developed?
XWiki (LGPL-2.1), with 3,683 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.