DokuWiki vs Foswiki (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, DokuWiki grades higher than Foswiki: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
DokuWiki 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.
Which one is for you
Pick DokuWiki if
- Fits if you want a small team wiki without running a database
- Works for internal docs that need access controls at no cost, with someone to host them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if nobody can host a PHP site, though partners do offer hosting with it pre-installed
- Not for you if your writers expect a visual editor, since pages use DokuWiki's own syntax
- Too light for teams who need vendor support, as help comes from a forum and a mailing list
- Watch out: the bundled web server is for 64-bit Windows and meant for one person's use only
- Skip it if you want apps or integrations, as none are listed and extras come as plugins
Pick Foswiki if
- Fits if you have a server and someone to look after it and want a wiki you fully control
- Works for teams moving off TWiki who want to keep its syntax
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting, as you provide and maintain the server
- Not for you if you need paid support, as it comes from the community with no vendor plan
- Watch out: security releases were posted in 2023 and 2026, and the site says to upgrade when they appear
- Tight if you lack Perl and Apache, Nginx or Lighttpd skills
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADokuWikiGood | 2.2GPAFoswikiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree of charge under the GNU General Public License version 2, with no paid edition anywhere in sight. The project simply asks companies that use it to consider a donation. | CFree to download, but it only runs on a server you provide, with Perl and Apache, Nginx or Lighttpd, so it is not free in practice and lands at the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole wiki engine is a free download for your own web server, nothing held back and no cap to hit. There's no paid plan you'll be nudged towards. | AFree to download and run, with no plan caps. The cost is the server and the upkeep, which sit outside the listing. |
| Features | CAccess controls, sign-in connectors, feeds pulled in from other sites, interwiki links and dozens of languages. Wiki basics, and the listing shows where they stop: pages are typed in DokuWiki's own syntax rather than a visual editor, everything else comes from plugins, and no integrations are listed. | CEditing in the browser, macros for dynamic pages, extensions, layout customisation and TWiki compatibility. The wiki job is done, but there is no vendor support plan and no hosted version. |
| Ease of use | DYou install it yourself on a web server with PHP. Having no database to run means one less thing to maintain, but it's still hosting, every editor has to learn the wiki syntax, and help is a community forum and a mailing list. | DYou install and maintain it yourself, which needs a Perl server and, on Unix-like systems, a few shell commands. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA browser, served from your own machine, and that's the lot. No phone or desktop apps, no integrations on record, and anything extra arrives as a plugin. | CWeb only, served from your own machine. No integrations or apps are listed on the pages read. |
| Best for | a wiki with no database to run | a wiki you run on your own Perl server |
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: DokuWiki and Foswiki. How we grade
Price against what you get
DokuWiki has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Foswiki has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than DokuWiki for less, and none scores higher than Foswiki 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
- DokuWiki is open source, according to its own site.
- Foswiki also covers documents.
In commonFree planWebSelf-hostableWiki
At a glance
| DokuWiki | Foswiki | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | DokuWiki is available free of charge under the GNU General Public License version 2. The project asks companies that use it to consider donating. | Free to download and run; you provide and maintain the server. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Andreas Gohr and the DokuWiki Community | Foswiki community |
| Price read from | download.dokuwiki.org | foswiki.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
DokuWiki
- You install and host it yourself on a web server with PHP. The download page points to partners that offer hosting with DokuWiki pre-installed.
- Pages are written in DokuWiki's own formatting syntax, which editors have to learn.
- The bundled web server option is for 64-bit Windows and is recommended for personal, single-user use only.
- Help comes from the community forum and mailing list; the author asks not to be contacted directly for support.
Foswiki
- You install and maintain it yourself: it needs a Perl server with Apache, Nginx or Lighttpd and, on Unix-like systems, a few shell commands.
- Support comes from the community; there is no vendor support plan on the site.
- The project posted security releases in 2023 and 2026, and its site recommends upgrading when they appear.
Key features
DokuWiki
- No database required
- DokuWiki runs without a database server, which the project presents as the reason it is easy for administrators to maintain, back up and integrate.
- Plain-text wiki syntax
- Pages are written in a readable formatting syntax that covers headings, links, lists, tables, footnotes and media files, with syntax highlighting for code blocks.
- Access controls and authentication
- Built-in access controls and authentication connectors decide who can read or edit, which the project highlights as useful in an enterprise setting.
- Plugins
- Hundreds of plugins are available. The download page can bundle popular ones, such as CAPTCHA, Upgrade, Wrap, Translation and Gallery, into the package.
- Feeds and interwiki links
- A page can pull in data from external RSS and Atom feeds, and interwiki links give quick links to pages on other wikis such as Wikipedia.
- Languages and a portable option
- The interface comes in dozens of languages, and an optional download adds a minimal Windows web server with PHP for trying DokuWiki or running it from a USB stick.
Foswiki
- Browser editing
- Team members create and edit pages directly in the web browser with a built-in WYSIWYG text editor.
- Macros for dynamic pages
- Macros automate pages and let users build applications such as status boards, to-do lists, inventory systems and bug trackers from within the browser.
- Extensions
- The site lists over 200 maintained extensions that expand what the wiki does out of the box.
- Layout customization
- The look of the site can be changed for the whole site, or per page, user or group.
- TWiki compatibility
- Foswiki is compatible with TWiki and offers a migration path from it.
Plans
DokuWiki
DokuWiki$0
The full wiki engine, downloaded and installed on your own web server. The download can be customized with languages and popular plugins.
Foswiki
Foswiki$0
Free platform with community-based support. You install and host it yourself.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DokuWiki or Foswiki?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both DokuWiki and Foswiki are free to use.
Which has a free plan, DokuWiki or Foswiki?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both DokuWiki and Foswiki 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.