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10 top picks · 3 audience rankings

Best open source wikis and knowledge bases

The best open source wiki is SiYuan, with 46,636 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Outline (source-available) and Wiki.js are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: SiYuan leads for startups, small business and enterprise. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 27 apps in the wikis & knowledge bases category of the appsgit catalog.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    SiYuan

    siyuan-note/siyuan

    A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.

    Wikis & Knowledge BasesTypeScriptDocker

    AI-nativeSiYuan has 46,636 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,702 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Evernote.

  2. Rank 2:

    Outline

    outline/outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

    Source-availableWikis & Knowledge BasesTypeScriptDocker

    Outline has 40,818 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,031 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper.

  3. Rank 3:

    Wiki.js

    requarks/wiki

    Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.

    Wikis & Knowledge BasesVueDocker

    Wiki.js has 29,010 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 202 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence.

1 of 4 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 27 apps in the wikis & knowledge bases category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    SiYuan

    A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.

    AI-nativeSiYuan has 46,636 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,702 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Evernote.

  2. 2

    Outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

    Outline has 40,818 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,031 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper.

  3. 3

    Wiki.js

    Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.

    Wiki.js has 29,010 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 202 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence.

  4. 4

    docmost Community Edition

    Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).

    docmost Community Edition has 21,876 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 431 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Confluence.

  5. 5

    BookStack

    Simple, self-hosted, easy-to-use platform for organising and storing information.

    BookStack has 19,075 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 435 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence.

  6. 6

    Docs

    Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.

    Docs has 16,895 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,059 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Docs and Dropbox Paper.

  7. 7

    TiddlyWiki

    Reusable non-linear personal web notebook.

    TiddlyWiki has 8,672 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 400 commits in the last year.

  8. 8

    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.

    Dokuwiki has 4,727 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 440 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence.

  9. 9

    Atomic Server

    Knowledge graph database with documents (similar to Notion), tables, search, and a powerful linked data API. Lightweight, very fast and no runtime dependencies.

    Atomic Server has 1,613 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,848 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    XWiki

    Second generation wiki that allows the user to extend its functionalities with a powerful extension-based architecture.

    XWiki has 1,314 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-2.1 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,247 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence.

2 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for startups

Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits.

  1. 1

    SiYuan

    A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.

    AI-nativeSiYuan has 46,636 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,702 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Evernote. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    BookStack

    Simple, self-hosted, easy-to-use platform for organising and storing information.

    BookStack has 19,075 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 435 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Wiki.js

    Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.

    Wiki.js has 29,010 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 202 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    docmost Community Edition

    Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).

    docmost Community Edition has 21,876 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 431 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Confluence. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

    Outline has 40,818 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,031 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

3 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for small business

Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides.

  1. 1

    SiYuan

    A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.

    AI-nativeSiYuan has 46,636 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,702 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Evernote. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

    Outline has 40,818 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,031 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper, and appsgit has a step-by-step deploy guide for it. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide.

  3. 3

    Wiki.js

    Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.

    Wiki.js has 29,010 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 202 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    docmost Community Edition

    Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).

    docmost Community Edition has 21,876 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 431 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Confluence. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    BookStack

    Simple, self-hosted, easy-to-use platform for organising and storing information.

    BookStack has 19,075 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 435 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

4 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for enterprise

Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    SiYuan

    A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.

    AI-nativeSiYuan has 46,636 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 8,702 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Evernote. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Outline

    Extensible wiki for your team.

    Outline has 40,818 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 2,031 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper. For enterprise it also scores on a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Wiki.js

    Modern, lightweight and powerful wiki app using Git and Markdown.

    Wiki.js has 29,010 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 202 commits in the last year; it replaces Confluence. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    docmost Community Edition

    Collaborative wiki and documentation software (alternative to Confluence, Notion).

    docmost Community Edition has 21,876 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 431 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Confluence. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Docs

    Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.

    Docs has 16,895 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,059 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Docs and Dropbox Paper. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open source wiki?

The best open source wiki is SiYuan, with 46,636 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Outline (source-available) and Wiki.js are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: SiYuan leads for startups, small business and enterprise. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 27 apps in the wikis & knowledge bases category of the appsgit catalog.

Is SiYuan free?

Yes. SiYuan is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Which open source wiki is best for a startup?

SiYuan ranks first for startups, with 46,636 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; BookStack and Wiki.js follow. The startups ranking adds points for Docker images, permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits on top of stars and activity.

Which open source wiki is best for a small business?

SiYuan ranks first for small business, with 46,636 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Outline (source-available) and Wiki.js follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity.

Can I self-host these wikis and knowledge bases with Docker?

Yes, 7 of the 10 picks. SiYuan, Outline and Wiki.js publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these wikis and knowledge bases open source?

9 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.

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