BookStack vs StackEdit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StackEdit grades higher than BookStack: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BookStack grades higher on features. StackEdit grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
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 StackEdit if
- Fits if you write Markdown notes or posts and want them saved to Drive or GitHub
- Works for one person who needs a quick preview-as-you-type editor
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a wiki, as there is no page tree or team permission system
- Watch out: the site footer carries a 2013-2019 copyright, so check its activity before depending on it
- Skip it if you need real-time team editing and structure, which are not what it is built for
- Watch out: sync and publishing each need an account with the third-party service
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABookStackGood | 3.0GPAStackEditVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree to use, with no paid plans listed anywhere on the site, which is under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| 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. | AThe whole editor, with sync and publishing, is free with no tier above it. Sync and publishing do need an account with the service involved. |
| 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. | DOne narrow function: a Markdown editor with preview, math and diagrams, sync and publishing. For a docs or wiki category it has no page tree, no team permission system and no search across pages. |
| 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. | BNothing to install or configure: open the page and write. No store rating on record, so this rests on the listing alone. |
| 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. | BWeb only, with Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk connections, and offline writing. |
| Best for | a free wiki on your own server | writing Markdown in the browser and syncing to cloud drives |
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 StackEdit. 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. StackEdit has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
StackEdit scores higher and starts $50.25 a month lower. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, 32 score higher than BookStack for less, and none scores higher than StackEdit 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 is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- BookStack also covers wiki and templates.
- StackEdit also covers documents.
At a glance
| BookStack | StackEdit | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 to use; no paid plans are listed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Dan Brown | Benoit Schweblin |
| Price read from | bookstackapp.com | stackedit.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
StackEdit
- It is an editor, not a wiki: there is no page tree or team permission system.
- The site footer carries a 2013-2019 copyright notice, so check the project's activity before depending on it.
- Sync and publishing need an account with the third-party service involved.
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.
StackEdit
- Markdown with live preview
- Syntax highlighting, formatting buttons and a scroll-synced preview panel.
- Markdown flavors
- Supports Markdown Extra, GitHub Flavored Markdown and CommonMark, each switchable.
- Math, diagrams and scores
- Renders LaTeX math, UML sequence diagrams and flow charts, and ABC musical notation.
- Sync and publishing
- Files sync with Google Drive, Dropbox and GitHub, and can be published to Blogger, WordPress and Zendesk.
- Collaboration and comments
- Shared workspaces merge simultaneous edits, and inline comments can be added to files.
- Offline writing
- The editor keeps working without a connection.
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.
StackEdit
Free$0
The whole editor, with sync and publishing, with no paid tier on the site.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BookStack or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, StackEdit 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 StackEdit is free.
Which has a free plan, BookStack or StackEdit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both BookStack and StackEdit 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.