MediaWiki vs PBworks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MediaWiki grades higher than PBworks: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MediaWiki grades higher on value for money and the free plan. PBworks grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PBworks
Hosted team wikis and file sharing for organizations
Free plan · from $20/mo
Which one is for you
Pick MediaWiki if
- Fits if you're building a large public wiki or an encyclopedia-style reference site
- Works for organizations with a server administrator to install and update it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if parts of your wiki must stay private, because the manual says it was designed for open content
- Not for you if nobody can look after PHP 8.3, a web server, a database and regular security upgrades
- Tight if your server is short on disk space or memory, since it's tuned for very high-traffic sites
- Watch out: hosting comes only from third parties the Wikimedia Foundation neither guarantees nor endorses
- Not for you if you want phone apps or ready-made integrations: none are on record, and extensions may be unmaintained
Pick PBworks if
- Fits if you want a hosted private wiki for a small group and no server
- Works for teams that need to share files with a few outside people
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you store files, as the free account holds 50 MB
- Watch out: the pages read are marked 2020 and give $20 per user without a billing period, so check before relying on it
- Skip it if you need integrations, as none are listed
- Pricey if you grow, since Wiki Hub Starter is $1,995 a year for 20 internal users
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMediaWikiGood | 2.0GPAPBworksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree of charge under the GNU General Public License, with no paid edition and nothing to upgrade to. You pay for a server and nothing else, and it comes with no warranty. | C$20 per user a month, close to the category's middle at $18 and under its dearer quarter at $82.50. The page gives no billing period, and Wiki Hub Starter is $1,995 a year for 20 users. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright. The full software is a download for your own server, and help comes from the community support desk. There is no paid tier to be nudged towards. | CA free account with 15 internal users, 5 external users, 5 wikis and email support, no time limit. The 50 MB of storage is a cap you will reach. |
| Features | CWikitext or the bundled VisualEditor, a full history of every revision, extensions, an API and room for millions of hits a day. The gap is a big one, and the manual says it: MediaWiki is often not suitable when access to part of a wiki must be restricted. Third-party extensions may also be unmaintained. | CPrivate wikis, editing without code, outside users, search and notifications. That covers a basic wiki, with nothing beyond. |
| Ease of use | DYou host it yourself. It needs PHP 8.3 or later, web server software, a database such as MariaDB or MySQL, and ongoing security upgrades. Ready-made hosting comes only from third parties the Wikimedia Foundation doesn't endorse. | CNo store rating on record. Editing needs no code, but wikis, permissions and outside access are set up by you. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA browser and nothing else: no phone or desktop app, and no integrations at all on record. The Action API is the one way in for programs, letting them log in, read data and post changes over HTTP. | CWeb only; the pages read list no apps or integrations, only that content is reachable on computer, smartphone or tablet. |
| Best for | large public wikis that anyone can read | a simple private team wiki |
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: MediaWiki and PBworks. How we grade
Price against what you get
MediaWiki has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PBworks starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
PBworks scores higher, and starts $20 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other docs and wiki tools on the chart, none scores higher than MediaWiki for less, and 27 score higher than PBworks 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
- MediaWiki is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- PBworks also covers documents and file sharing.
In commonFree planWebWiki
At a glance
| MediaWiki | PBworks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $20 per user / month |
| Free plan | The software is free of charge and licensed under version 2 or later of the GNU General Public License, with no warranty. | Free account: up to 15 internal users, 5 external users, 5 wikis and 50 MB of storage, with email support and no time limit. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Wikimedia Foundation | PBworks, Inc. |
| Price read from | mediawiki.org | pbworks.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
MediaWiki
- The manual says MediaWiki is often not suitable when access to part of a wiki must be restricted, because it was designed for open content.
- You host it yourself: it needs PHP 8.3 or later, web server software and a database such as MariaDB or MySQL, and ongoing security upgrades.
- It is optimized for very high-traffic sites and may not suit small sites where disk space or memory is the tighter limit.
- Hosting comes only from third parties: the site lists hosting services that the Wikimedia Foundation neither guarantees nor endorses.
PBworks
- The free account is capped at 50 MB of storage.
- The pages read are marked with a 2020 copyright and the pricing page states the $20 per user figure without a billing period, so re-check before relying on it.
- Separate Hub versions exist for projects, agencies, legal, business and education, and a custom quote is offered.
- The pages read list no desktop or mobile app; the vendor says content is reachable by computer, smartphone or tablet.
Key features
MediaWiki
- Wikitext and VisualEditor
- Pages use MediaWiki's wikitext format, which needs no knowledge of HTML or CSS. The VisualEditor extension, bundled since version 1.35, allows editing pages as rich content instead.
- Full revision history
- Every edit is written to the database without deleting earlier versions of the page, so vandalism, spam or mistakes can be reverted easily.
- Extensions
- Administrators add functions by installing extensions. Some are bundled with the software; third-party ones may be unmaintained or incompatible with each other.
- Action API
- A web service at the api.php endpoint lets programs log in, read data and post changes over HTTP, covering features such as page operations and search.
- Built for high traffic
- The software was designed to serve sites that get millions of hits a day. It supports caching and can be coupled with proxy server software.
- Image and media files
- MediaWiki also manages images and multimedia files, which are stored in the server's file system rather than in the database.
PBworks
- Private wikis
- Teams create private wikis that combine page content, links, embedded images, videos and files.
- Page editing without code
- Pages are edited and formatted without learning markup.
- Access for outside users
- Access can be granted to people outside the organization, in addition to internal users.
- Search and organization
- Content is organized by folder and found through search.
- Notifications
- Automated notifications keep members up to date on changes.
Plans
MediaWiki
MediaWiki$0
The full software, downloaded and installed on your own server, with help from the community support desk.
PBworks
Free$0
Up to 15 internal users, 5 external users, 5 wikis and 50 MB of storage.
Upgrade$20
per user / month (billing period not stated)
Per-user upgrade from the free account.
Wiki Hub Starter Package$1,995
per year for 20 internal users
20 internal users, 100 GB of storage and unlimited wikis.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MediaWiki or PBworks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MediaWiki is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $20 a month for each person for PBworks. MediaWiki is free, and PBworks starts at $20 per user / month.
Which has a free plan, MediaWiki or PBworks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both MediaWiki and PBworks 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.