DokuWiki vs XWiki
We give DokuWiki a 2.8 GPA and XWiki a 3.4, out of 4.0. XWiki grades higher on features, 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.
XWiki
Open-source enterprise wiki with structured data and apps
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADokuWikiGood | 3.4GPAXWikiVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree of charge under the GNU General Public License version 2, with no paid edition at all. The project just asks companies that use it to consider donating. | AThe Community version is free. Hosted, Starter is €309 a year for 10 users, far below what this category usually charges. Basic for 100 users is €5,796.84 a year, which is €4.83 a user a month, and the same price covers XWiki Cloud or your own servers. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole wiki engine is a free download for your own web server. There's no paid plan to be pushed towards. | AThe Community version is the open-source software with community extensions, free to run on your own servers for good. You go without XWiki SAS support and the Pro applications. There's a free trial of XWiki Cloud too, though the pricing page doesn't say how long it lasts. |
| Features | BAccess controls, sign-in connectors, feeds pulled in from other sites and hundreds of plugins. Solid wiki basics. But pages are typed in DokuWiki's own formatting syntax, and the extras come from community plugins. | AA WYSIWYG editor with full history, comments, annotations and mentions, plus something most wikis lack: you build your own data structures by drag and drop, with forms and filterable tables. More than 700 extensions, and Office import and PDF export are built in. |
| Ease of use | DYou install it yourself on a web server with PHP. Having no database helps, but it's still hosting, and editors have to learn the syntax. Help is a community forum and a mailing list. | CNo rating on record. The free version is yours to download and set up on your own servers, with no vendor support. XWiki Cloud takes that job away, but it's the paid route, and support on every paid plan keeps 09:00 to 17:00 CET hours. |
| Platforms and integrations | CIt runs in a browser from your own server and that's all. No phone or desktop apps and no integrations on record. Anything extra has to come from a plugin. | BIt's a web app, on XWiki Cloud or your own servers, with no phone or desktop apps listed. It connects to OnlyOffice, Office 365, OpenProject, draw.io and Active Directory, and the extensions stretch it further. |
| Best for | a simple wiki with no database to run | an open-source wiki you can build small apps in |
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 XWiki. How we grade
Where they differ
- DokuWiki is free. XWiki starts at 309 € per year for 10 users (Starter, XWiki Cloud only).
- XWiki also covers databases.
At a glance
| DokuWiki | XWiki | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | 309 € per year for 10 users (Starter, XWiki Cloud only) |
| 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. | Community version: the open-source software with community extensions, downloaded and set up on your own servers, without XWiki SAS support or the XWiki Pro applications. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial of XWiki Cloud; the pricing page does not state its length |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Andreas Gohr and the DokuWiki Community | XWiki SAS |
| Price read from | download.dokuwiki.org | xwiki.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
DokuWiki
- Small teams that want a wiki without running a database
- Administrators who value simple backups and maintenance
- Internal documentation that needs access controls at no cost
XWiki
- Organizations that want an open-source alternative to Confluence
- Teams that need structured data and small apps inside a wiki
- Companies that have to host their wiki on their own servers
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.
XWiki
- Paid plans are priced in euros by a calculator that scales with team size; Starter stops at 25 users and runs on XWiki Cloud only.
- The free Community version comes without vendor support, and the XWiki Pro applications start on the Basic plan.
- OIDC, Entra ID, CAS and SAML sign-in need the Business plan, and SCIM needs Enterprise.
- Support hours on every paid plan are 09:00 to 17:00 CET.
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.
XWiki
- WYSIWYG editing with history
- Pages are edited in a WYSIWYG editor with link and macro editors and in-place editing. A full history of changes is kept, alongside comments, annotations and user mentions.
- Structured data and apps
- AppWithinMinutes builds custom data structures by drag and drop. Entries are edited through forms and browsed in filterable tables that XWiki calls livetables.
- Permissions and sign-in
- User and group management and an advanced permission system are built in. Paid plans add LDAP and Active Directory, then OIDC, Entra ID, CAS and SAML, and SCIM on Enterprise.
- Extensions
- More than 700 extensions are available: about 600 from the community plus 60 recommended and Pro extensions such as diagrams, task management and calendars.
- Office and PDF handling
- Office documents can be imported or previewed, images and other attachments previewed in the page, and pages viewed and exported as PDF.
- Cloud or on-premises
- From the Basic plan up, the same subscription price covers XWiki Cloud or your own servers; Starter is cloud only. One instance can hold several sub-wikis.
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.
XWiki
CommunityFree
The open-source software and community extensions, set up and run on your own servers without vendor support.
Starter309 €
per year for 10 users, the smallest team size
XWiki Cloud only, for up to 25 users and ordered online: early security patches, the antivirus application, one sub-wiki and portal support.
Basic5,796.84 €
per year for 100 users (4.83 € per user / month)
Cloud or on-premises for up to 1,000 users: XWiki Pro applications, LDAP and Active Directory sign-in, a custom domain on XWiki Cloud and 25 sub-wikis.
Business11,216.70 €
per year for 250 users (3.74 € per user / month)
Up to 10,000 users: adds OIDC, Entra ID, CAS and SAML sign-in, IP allowlisting, the Confluence migration toolkit and faster support response times.
Enterprise33,990 €
per year for 500 users (5.67 € per user / month)
Unlimited users: adds SCIM, Kubernetes, Windows and clustered installations, a dedicated account manager, AI integration in beta and 100 sub-wikis.
Ways to pay less
DokuWiki
No public discounts listed.
XWiki
- Other savings
20% off with a 3-year subscription
The pricing calculator offers a 3-year subscription period that saves 20% compared with the yearly price.
- Other savings
5% off for ordering online
The Basic, Business and Enterprise plans list a 5% reduction when the subscription is ordered online rather than manually.
- Nonprofit
50% off for NGOs
The special discounts on the pricing page give NGOs a 50% discount on support, hosting and apps.
- Education
50% off for academic institutions
Academic institutions are listed for a 50% discount on support and hosting.
- Other savings
Free cloud hosting for open source projects
Open source software projects get free cloud hosting at the Starter level and Pro Apps licenses, plus a 50% discount on support.
