Best 7 Mediawiki Alternatives

MediaWiki is an open-source software developed by the Wikimedia Foundation. The software facilitates collaborative content creation and knowledge sharing. Users can create, update, and organize wiki pages efficiently, making it perfect for creating knowledge bases, documentation repositories, and other projects. The platform supports many languages, extensions and plugins, and version tracking to facilitate better cooperation among teams.

However, MediaWiki's architecture shows its age in today's collaborative world. Built in 2002, it still relies on PHP-based wiki markup that feels increasingly outdated compared to modern WYSIWYG editors. The interface remains largely unchanged from its early days, lacking the intuitive design and mobile responsiveness that users now expect. This legacy approach creates friction for teams accustomed to contemporary collaboration tools.

Some of the biggest wikis in the world, including Wikipedia, are powered by the popular program MediaWiki. MediaWiki may not be the best option for every use situation, though, due to a few drawbacks. The installation procedure and upkeep call for technical expertise. MediaWiki offers a basic user rights management system, but it lacks advanced control features, making user role and permission management challenging in organizations with complex workflows.

Top 7 MediaWiki Alternatives

Here we list the most compelling alternatives to MediaWiki for teams seeking modern documentation and knowledge management solutions. While MediaWiki has powered countless wikis including Wikipedia, today's teams often need features like real-time collaboration, visual editing, and mobile-friendly interfaces that go beyond traditional wiki capabilities.

Docmost

Docmost is one of the best alternatives to MediaWiki. Docmost positions itself as a modern collaborative wiki that addresses many of MediaWiki's limitations while maintaining ease of use. Where MediaWiki relies on markup language and traditional page editing, Docmost brings real-time collaboration to the forefront.

The most striking difference is how teams work together. While MediaWiki requires users to take turns editing pages and manually merge changes, Docmost lets multiple people edit the same document simultaneously, just like Google Docs. You can see teammates' cursors moving in real-time, watch changes appear as they type, and collaborate without the constant save conflicts that plague traditional wikis.

The rich-text editor supports advanced formatting, including user mentions, callouts, toggle blocks, LaTeX for mathematical equations, tables, clipboard image pasting, third-party embeds/integrations and more.

That's not all; Docmost has built-in support for diagramming tools such as Drawio, Excalidraw, and Mermaid. With these, you can draw and design charts and UML diagrams without leaving the editor.

Docmost features​

• Collaborative Real-time Editor: Work together on pages in real time.
• Diagrams: Built-in support for Drawio, Excalidraw, and Mermaid diagramming tools.
• Spaces: Organize your pages by team, projects, or departments for better collaboration.
• Permissions Management: Easily control access to pages with easy-to-understand permissions.
• Groups: Easily grant unified permissions to users via groups.
• Comments: Add inline comments to pages for better communication and feedback.
• Page History: Track changes with a comprehensive version history.
• Nested Navigation: You can nest and reorder pages via the sidebar.
• Search: Quickly find the information you need with powerful search capabilities.
• File Attachment: Attach files to your pages for quick reference and sharing.
• Embeds: Embed content from Airtable, Loom, YouTube, and more.
• Authentication: Email and password + SSO login (SAML 2.0/OIDC) in the Enterprise edition.

XWiki

Written in Java, XWiki is an advanced open-source wiki. One of XWiki's core features is its extensive customization capabilities. Users can customize the platform to their unique needs with the large number of available extensions, plugins, and macros. With its adaptability, XWiki can fit different use cases and workflows, whether that's through integrating with third-party applications, implementing custom functions, or building personalized templates.

XWiki boasts an excellent WYSIWYG editor, powerful wiki syntax, and robust rights management. Small businesses or teams can use XWiki, but its emphasis on enterprise-grade functionality and scalability makes it especially ideal for larger organizations with complex collaboration and information management needs. Overall, this software is a solid alternative to Mediawiki.

XWiki features:

• XWiki ensures seamless editing with WYSIWYG, Markdown, and wiki syntax editors.
• XWiki offers extensibility through its wide range of available extensions and plugins.
• XWiki offers access control features.
• XWiki offers hierarchical organization of structured content through nested pages and sub-wikis.
• XWiki includes built-in version control functionality, allowing users to track changes made to pages over time, revert to previous versions, and compare revisions.
• It provides collaboration features such as comments, notifications, and user mentions, facilitating communication and teamwork among users.

Wiki.js

is a modern knowledge base software and one of the top MediaWiki alternatives to consider. Wiki.js is built for easy documentation and knowledge sharing, making it a popular choice for businesses of all kinds as well as for personal projects. This tool is adaptable and versatile, allowing it to function seamlessly across a variety of systems and environments. This gives users the freedom to deploy Wiki.js in the environment that best meets their requirements and infrastructure architecture.

Based on Node.js, Wiki.js operates swiftly. For non-technical users, the software includes Markdown support and WYSIWYG editing, while more technically inclined users can take advantage of advanced functions and integrations. You can integrate the platform with a variety of third-party tools and services, such as authentication providers and version control systems.

Wiki.js features:

• Wiki.js provides a straightforward installation process that can be done via Docker, Node.js, or manual deployment.
• Wiki.js features a rich text editor that allows users to create and format content easily with features such as headings, lists, tables, images.
• It can operate with databases from MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, or MS-SQL Server.
• Wiki.js includes built-in version control to track changes, compare revisions, and revert to previous versions if need be.
• Wiki.js supports integration with third-party authentication services such as GitHub, Google, and Microsoft for user authentication.
• Wiki.js includes powerful search functionality that enables users to quickly find relevant content within the wiki.

BookStack

If you're searching for an easy-to-use, lightweight knowledge management and documentation platform, you might need to give BookStack a try. BookStack categorizes content structure into three groups: books, chapters, and pages. Users can create books to collect relevant content, chapters to further organize content within books, and pages to include actual content like text, images, or files. This hierarchical structure makes it straightforward to organize and navigate information within BookStack.

BookStack is adaptable and provides a wide range of customization options to meet a variety of needs. Overall, the platform is best suited for smaller teams that require a simple solution for managing documents and knowledge.

BookStack features:

• BookStack provides version control functionality.
• It has a wide number of customisation possibilities that allow users to personalize the platform to their specific requirements.
• Content is organized in a hierarchical structure.
• BookStack allows integration with authentication providers such as Okta, LDAP, Google, GitHub, and Slack.
• BookStack supports various types of media.
• The user-interface is very friendly, making it accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise.

DokuWiki

DokuWiki is an open-source wiki software that runs without a database. All of the data is saved in plain text files, which makes the process of storing and retrieving the data much simpler. This software has all the important features you'd expect from wiki software, including built-in access controls and a large variety of extensions and plugins. It also supports over 50 languages.

For users, DokuWiki is simple to install, update, and operate, as well as integrate and manage the plugins. If your organization needs a simple documentation and collaboration platform with low system requirements, then this tool is worth looking at as an alternative to MediaWiki.

DokuWiki features:

• DokuWiki uses a simple and intuitive markup language, making it easy for users to create and format content without needing to learn complex syntax.
• DokuWiki offers an array of themes and templates that can be customized to create a unique and engaging user experience.
• It has a wide range of add-ons, also known as plugins and extensions that extend its basic functionality.
• DokuWiki performs automatic backups to avoid loss of data during editing.
• It offers built-in version control, allowing users to track and manage changes to software code.
• DokuWiki prioritizes security with features such as access control, CSRF protection, and optional encryption for sensitive data.

AppFlowy

If you're searching for something more modern than MediaWiki, AppFlowy offers a fresh take on collaborative documentation. While MediaWiki has served teams well for years with its wiki-style approach, AppFlowy brings the flexibility of apps like Notion to the open-source world; perfect for teams who want to own their data but aren't satisfied with traditional wiki limitations.

The biggest difference you'll notice is how content works. Instead of MediaWiki's markup language and page-based structure, AppFlowy uses intuitive content blocks that you can drag, drop, and customize. Want to add a task list next to your documentation? Just drop it in. Need a kanban board to track documentation progress? It's built right in. This makes it feel less like maintaining a wiki and more like working in a modern workspace.

AppFlowy's offline-first design is a game-changer for documentation teams. Unlike MediaWiki, which requires a server connection, AppFlowy works completely offline with full sync capabilities when you reconnect. Your team can contribute from anywhere. And with native apps for every platform, everyone gets a smooth experience regardless of their device.

AppFlowy features:

• No Markup Language: Visual editing with blocks instead of wiki syntax
• Offline Documentation: Full access and editing without server connectivity
• Modern Workspace Features: Kanban boards, databases, and task management built-in
• True Cross-Platform: Native desktop and mobile apps, not just web-based
• Drag-and-Drop Files: Simple media handling compared to MediaWiki's upload process
• Database Integration: Structure information without plugins or extensions
• Self-Hosted Privacy: Keep your data secure like MediaWiki, but with modern architecture
• Active Development: Regular updates and community-driven features

Affine

Affine reimagines what a knowledge base can be by merging documents with visual whiteboards, a combination that MediaWiki's text-focused approach simply can't offer. While only the client is open-source (the server components remain proprietary), Affine brings modern workspace features that go far beyond traditional wiki capabilities.

The fundamental difference lies in how you create and organize information. MediaWiki locks you into sequential pages filled with markup syntax, but Affine provides an infinite canvas where documentation becomes truly visual. You can place rich text blocks, sticky notes, embedded web pages, databases, linked pages, shapes, and slides wherever they make sense. This "hyper-fused" approach transforms static documentation into dynamic visual knowledge maps.

Local-first architecture sets Affine apart from MediaWiki's server-dependent model. Your work saves directly to your device, enabling true offline productivity. While MediaWiki requires constant server connectivity and complex hosting setups, Affine runs smoothly on your desktop with optional sync capabilities. This means faster performance, better privacy, and no lost work due to connection issues.

The editing experience feels refreshingly modern. Instead of memorizing wiki syntax for tables, links, and formatting, you work with intuitive blocks and visual elements. Creating a database is as simple as inserting a table block—no need for MediaWiki's complex template system. Bidirectional linking happens automatically, and the search function understands context across all your content types, not just text.

Affine Features

• Unified Docs & Whiteboards: Seamlessly blend text documentation with visual diagrams
• Infinite Canvas Workspace: No page boundaries—organize content spatially
• Local-First Storage: Data lives on your device with optional cloud sync
• Visual Block Editor: Drag-and-drop interface replacing wiki markup
• Native Databases: Create structured data without template programming
• Smart Bidirectional Links: Automatic page connections without bracket syntax
• Web Content Embedding: Insert live web pages directly into documents
• Cross-Platform Apps: Desktop applications plus web access
• Powerful Search: Find anything across text, drawings, and databases
• Privacy by Default: Work offline with data stored locally first