BookStack vs Tiki Wiki (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BookStack grades higher than Tiki Wiki: 2.8 against 2.4 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 value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, 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 Tiki Wiki if
- Fits if you want one self-hosted package for a wiki, trackers and a website
- Works for an organisation with a technical person to run it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want to run a server, as you install and host it
- Watch out: you apply frequent security releases yourself
- Not for you if you want a simple wiki, since it is a broad framework with many options
- Tight if you need vendor support, as it comes from the community or paid consultants
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABookStackGood | 2.4GPATiki WikiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CFree software, but it only runs on a server you provide or on TikiHosting, which is sold separately. That needs a server, so it sits at the middle. |
| 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. | AFree and open source with no plan caps. You pay only for hosting and any consultant help. |
| 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. | BWiki pages with full layout control, trackers, built-in CMS parts and groupware, on an active release line. It covers the whole wiki job and more, and nothing in the listing shows a gap. |
| 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. | DYou install and maintain it yourself, including the frequent security releases, and it has many more options to configure. |
| 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, served from your own server. No integrations or apps are listed on the pages read. |
| Best for | a free wiki on your own server | a wiki, CMS and groupware you host yourself |
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 Tiki Wiki. 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. Tiki Wiki has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Tiki Wiki 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 Tiki Wiki 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 Markdown, templates and diagrams.
- Tiki Wiki also covers databases, no-code and forms.
At a glance
| BookStack | Tiki Wiki | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 open source software; you host it yourself or pay a separate hosting provider. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Dan Brown | Tiki Software Community Association |
| Price read from | bookstackapp.com | tiki.org |
| 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.
Tiki Wiki
- You install and maintain it yourself, including applying the frequent security releases.
- Support comes from the community or from paid consultants and hosts.
- It is a broad framework rather than a focused wiki, so it has many more options to configure.
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.
Tiki Wiki
- Wiki pages with full layout control
- Pages are edited like a wiki but can take any layout and style, built on Bootstrap with custom themes.
- Trackers
- Tiki Trackers handle data input, management and display, with 45 field types, and a wiki page can act as a form or output template.
- Built-in CMS parts
- File galleries, article publishing and a blog engine come with the standard install.
- Community and groupware
- Forums, teams and chat are part of the project's own site, which runs on Tiki.
- Active release line
- The news feed shows Tiki 30 LTS released in August 2026 and security releases for 30.2, 27.9 and 24.16 in November 2026.
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.
Tiki Wiki
Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware$0
Free and open source. You install and host it yourself; TikiHosting managed hosting is sold separately.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BookStack or Tiki Wiki?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Tiki Wiki 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 Tiki Wiki is free.
Which has a free plan, BookStack or Tiki Wiki?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both BookStack and Tiki Wiki 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.