BookStack vs Wiki.js: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Confluence. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| BookStack | Wiki.js | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | 14k | 24k |
| Tech stack | PHP, Laravel, MySQL | Node.js, Vue.js, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Confluence | Confluence |
Wiki.js has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
BookStack
Documentation organized into books and pages, an alternative to Confluence.
Pros
- MIT license
- Very lightweight compared to Confluence
Things to consider
- Fewer third-party plugins than Confluence
Wiki.js
Modern wiki with version control, an alternative to Confluence.
Pros
- Highly configurable authentication and storage
Things to consider
- Fewer enterprise integrations than Confluence
Key features
BookStack
- Books, chapters and pages structure
- WYSIWYG or Markdown editor
- Granular role-based permissions
Wiki.js
- Markdown and visual editor
- Git-style change history
- Multiple authentication providers