BookStack vs Raneto (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BookStack grades higher than Raneto: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
BookStack grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BookStack
Free self-hosted wiki organized into books, chapters and pages
Which one is for you
Pick BookStack if
- Fits if you want a free wiki on your own server and someone can run it
- Works for companies that need LDAP, SAML2 or OIDC sign-in without paying for it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if nobody on the team can look after a PHP app and its database
- Not for you if you want a hosted wiki you just sign up for, because BookStack doesn't run one
- Pricey if you need support with a promised reply, which starts at £450 a year before VAT
- Watch out: it needs PHP 8.2 or later and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6, and shared PHP hosting isn't supported
- Skip it if you want phone or desktop apps or many integrations; diagrams.net is the one listed
Pick Raneto if
- Fits if you're a developer who wants a small docs site from a folder of Markdown files
- Works for teams that keep their docs in Git and have a server to spare
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want someone else to host it, as there is no hosted version
- Not for you if you need user management or commercial support, since the site describes neither
- Too light for a large team wiki with permissions and comments
- Watch out: the configuration example on the home page is marked coming soon
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABookStackGood | 2.0GPARanetoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. The whole application is MIT licensed with no paid edition at all, so there's no tier to climb; the only thing on sale is support, from £450 a year, and you can do without it. | C$0 under the MIT license, but you host it yourself on Node.js or Docker, which makes it an ordinary value rather than a free app. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright with nothing held back, LDAP, SAML2 and OIDC sign-in and multi-factor authentication included, and no cap a team would reach. Free support is the community, with no promise of a reply. | BFree with no paid plan, and one person could run it. You supply the server. |
| Features | BBooks, chapters and pages for structure, a WYSIWYG editor with an optional Markdown one, search inside a book or across the lot, links to any paragraph, diagrams.net drawing in the editor, page revisions, roles and permissions, and a documented API. The wiki job, covered. | CMarkdown pages with no database, a web editor, search and themes. It does that job fully but it's a smaller job, and the site names no user management. |
| Ease of use | DYou host it yourself, and that's the whole difficulty: a server running PHP 8.2 or later with MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6, and shared PHP hosting is ruled out. There's no hosted version to sign up for instead. | DNo store rating on record. It needs Node.js or Docker and you update it yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no phone or desktop apps on record and diagrams.net the one integration listed. Every install does document an API covering pages, chapters, books, shelves and attachments. | CWeb only. The listing names Docker, Git and Node.js, and no phone or desktop apps. |
| Best for | a free wiki on your own server | a small self-hosted Markdown knowledge base |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BookStack and Raneto. How we grade
Price against what you get
BookStack starts at about $50.25 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Raneto has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
BookStack scores higher, and starts $50.25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 37 score higher than BookStack for less, and none scores higher than Raneto for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BookStack also covers templates and diagrams.
- Raneto also covers documents.
At a glance
| BookStack | Raneto | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | £450 per year for an optional support plan; the software itself is free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole application is free and MIT licensed, with no cost to download and install your own instance. Community support carries no assurance of a response. | Free and open source under the MIT license; you host it yourself. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Dan Brown | Raneto Project |
| Price read from | bookstackapp.com | raneto.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BookStack
- There is no official hosted version: you install and maintain it yourself, which takes some knowledge of hosting a PHP application and database.
- It needs PHP 8.2 or later with MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6 or later, and shared PHP hosting is not supported.
- Paid support is priced in pounds, at £450 or £4,500 a year before VAT; free community support has no assured response.
Raneto
- You install, host and update it yourself; there is no hosted version on the site.
- The home page lists the configuration example as 'coming soon'.
- No hosted pricing, user management or commercial support is described on the site.
Key features
BookStack
- Books, chapters and pages
- All content sits in a three-level structure of books, chapters and pages, and pages can be re-sorted across books.
- WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- Pages are written in a simple WYSIWYG editor by default. An optional Markdown editor shows a live preview as you write.
- Search and paragraph links
- Search works within a single book or across every book, chapter and page, and any paragraph can be linked to directly.
- Built-in diagrams
- The page editor has diagrams.net drawing built in, so diagrams can be created without leaving the documentation.
- Roles, permissions and sign-in
- A role and permission system locks down content and actions. Sign-in supports OIDC, SAML2 and LDAP besides email and password, and multi-factor authentication can be enforced per role.
- Revisions and API
- Page revisions and image management are built in, and each instance documents an API covering pages, chapters, books, shelves and attachments.
Raneto
- Markdown files, no database
- Pages are Markdown files in a folder, which can be kept under Git version control.
- Built-in editor
- Documents can be created and edited from the web interface.
- Full-text search
- Search across pages is built on Lunr.js.
- Themes and templating
- A customizable Bootstrap theme with Mustache templates and syntax highlighting.
- Docker image
- The home page shows a docker-compose file for running it.
Plans
BookStack
BookStack (self-hosted)Free
The full application on your own server, with community support through the project's discussions, Codeberg and Reddit.
Professional Support Plan£450
per year, VAT not included
Email and help-desk support covering installation and updating issues, with high-priority handling of bug and issue reports.
Enterprise Support Plan£4,500
per year, VAT not included
Everything in Professional, plus highest-priority handling, help with API integrations and up to 10 hours of video support a year.
Raneto
Open source$0
The full project under an MIT license, self-hosted with Node.js or Docker.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BookStack or Raneto?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Raneto is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $50.25 a month for BookStack. BookStack starts at £450 per year for an optional support plan; the software itself is free, and Raneto is free.
Which has a free plan, BookStack or Raneto?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both BookStack and Raneto have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.