DokuWiki vs Trilium Notes (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Trilium Notes grades higher than DokuWiki: 3.2 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Trilium Notes grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Trilium Notes
Open-source hierarchical note-taking and personal knowledge base
Free
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 Trilium Notes if
- Fits if you want your notes on your own computer with no account
- Works for people who like organising notes in a tree rather than folders
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want native iPhone or Android apps, as phones use a web app on a server
- Tight if you want sync without running a server, since the paid host listed is third-party
- Not for you if you want a team wiki with shared editing, as the listing describes a personal notes app
- Watch out: the old TriliumNext docs repository is archived and the project now lives at triliumnotes.org
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADokuWikiGood | 3.2GPATrilium NotesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree under the AGPL-3.0 license, and you can just download the desktop apps and use them, so it is under the category's cheapest quarter. |
| 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 outright with no account and no paid plan from the team. |
| 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. | CNote tree, many note types, search, a REST API, scripting and a web clipper. The listing shows a gap: syncing across devices needs a self-hosted server. |
| 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. | BNo store rating on record, but you install a desktop app and start writing with nothing to set up. |
| 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. | BWindows, Mac and Linux apps plus a web app for phones, and a REST API. No native phone apps. |
| Best for | a wiki with no database to run | a free note tree you keep on your own machine |
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 Trilium Notes. 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. Trilium Notes has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Trilium Notes scores higher 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 Trilium Notes 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
- Trilium Notes also covers notes and web clipper.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableWiki
At a glance
| DokuWiki | Trilium Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, with no account needed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Andreas Gohr and the DokuWiki Community | Elian Doran and the community |
| Price read from | download.dokuwiki.org | triliumnotes.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Trilium Notes
- The download page offers Windows, Linux and macOS desktop apps; phone access is through a web app (PWA) on a server.
- Syncing needs a self-hosted server; the paid host listed is third-party, not affiliated with the team.
- The roster's TriliumNext docs repo is archived; the project now lives at triliumnotes.org.
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.
Trilium Notes
- Note tree
- Notes nest as sub-notes with no folders, and a note can be cloned into several places.
- Many note types
- Text, Markdown, code, spreadsheet, canvas, Mermaid, mind map and file notes.
- Sync and sharing
- A self-hosted or cloud server syncs notes, and a subtree can be published as a public read-only site.
- Search and protection
- Fuzzy title navigation, full-text search including text in images and PDFs via OCR, and password-locked protected notes.
- REST API and scripting
- A built-in REST API and scripting for automation.
- Web clipper
- A browser extension saves pages and screenshots into Trilium.
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.
Trilium Notes
Open source$0
Desktop apps and a self-hostable server, free; third-party paid hosting is available on PikaPods.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DokuWiki or Trilium Notes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both DokuWiki and Trilium Notes are free to use.
Which has a free plan, DokuWiki or Trilium Notes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both DokuWiki and Trilium Notes have a free plan.
Which platforms do DokuWiki and Trilium Notes run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Trilium Notes lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.