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The BookStack Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about BookStack in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

BookStack

The Insider’s Guide

Free self-hosted wiki organized into books, chapters and pages

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among docs and wiki tools, read from BookStack’s own pages.

Made by Dan Brown · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.8GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from BookStack’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on BookStack’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.8

GPA, above 34 of the 51 other docs and wiki tools we grade

BookStack is a free, MIT-licensed wiki that you install on your own server. Content is organized into books, chapters and pages and written in a WYSIWYG editor or an optional Markdown editor, with full search, page revisions and a role and permission system. The project runs no hosted service and has no paid edition; optional annual support plans are sold through its creator's company.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about BookStack, taken from its own pages and our grades.

There's no hosted version to sign up for instead.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for a free wiki on your own server

    BookStack is a free, MIT-licensed wiki you run yourself, sorting everything into books, chapters and pages.

  2. 2

    Paid plans start at about $49.58 a month

    As its pricing page puts it: £450 per year for an optional support plan; the software itself is free.

  3. 3

    There is a 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.

  4. 4

    It runs on Web

    Web.

  5. 5

    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.

  6. 6

    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.

  7. 7

    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.

  8. 8

    A 2.8 GPA, above 34 of 51

    That is against the other docs and wiki tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  9. 9

    Keep it

    The plain part of BookStack you could make: wiki, Markdown and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.

BookStack at a glance

Pricing
Free plan, from £450 per year for an optional support plan; the software itself is free
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web
Made by
Dan Brown, since 2015
Category
Docs & Wikis
Our grade
2.8 GPA, good

The report card

Best for a free wiki on your own server

BookStack is a free, MIT-licensed wiki you run yourself, sorting everything into books, chapters and pages. There's no hosted version, so someone has to install it on a server with PHP 8.2 and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6, shared hosting won't do, and there are no phone or desktop apps. Free help is the community with no promised reply; paid support starts at £450 a year before VAT.

ToolGPA report cardBookStackGraded Oct 10, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyAIt 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.
Free plan and trialAFree 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.
FeaturesBBooks, 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.
Ease of useDYou 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.
Platforms and integrationsCWeb 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.
Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.8

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who BookStack is for

  • 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

Who it is not for

  • 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

Good to know

Good for

  • Teams that want a free wiki running on their own server
  • Mixed technical and non-technical staff writing documentation
  • Organizations that need LDAP, SAML2 or OIDC sign-in at no cost

Worth knowing

  • 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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

~$49.58

A month to start. There is a free plan too

BookStack has a free plan. Paid plans start at £450 per year for an optional support plan; the software itself is free.

Free support is the community, with no promise of a reply.
From our grade for free plan and trial

  • 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.

The 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.

Read from bookstackapp.com on Oct 5, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: Web

Free self-hosted wiki organized into books, chapters and pages. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, Markdown, wiki, templates, diagrams.

Web only, with no phone or desktop apps on record and diagrams.net the one integration listed.
From our grade for platforms and integrations
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.

Where it runs

  • Web

What it works with

  • diagrams.net

BookStack is made by Dan Brown, and has been around since 2015.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

34/51

Other docs and wiki tools it is graded above

BookStack's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 34 of the 51 other docs and wiki tools we grade, and level with 8.

It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 39 of 51) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).

Its paid plans start at about $49.58 a month, against a middle price of $16.50 for the category: 30 of the 41 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 29 tools score higher and cost less.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 52 docs and wiki tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. BookStack’s own letter is outlined.

  • AValue for moneyAbove 38 of 51
  • AFree plan and trialAbove 39 of 51
  • BFeaturesAbove 21 of 51
  • DEase of useAbove 0 of 51
  • CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 51

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 47 docs and wiki tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. BookStack is the marked dot.

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$0.5$1$2$5$10$20$50$100$200$500More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessBookStackONLYOFFICEZoho WriterZoho LearnWiki.jsGoogle Docs

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

The plain part of BookStack you could make: wiki, Markdown and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.

It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 34 of the 51 other docs and wiki tools we grade. It costs $594.92 a year. BookStack is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.

What you could make

  • Wiki, Markdown and templates: an app builder makes these well.

What you could not

  • A diagram editor.
  • It plugs into other products, diagrams.net among them, and has an API.
  • What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. BookStack’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Wiki.js, DokuWiki, MediaWiki, Outline and Docmost

The 5 tools BookStack is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

13

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is BookStack free?

BookStack has a free plan. The whole application is free and MIT licensed, with no cost to download and install your own instance.

How much does BookStack cost?

BookStack lists 3 plans. BookStack (self-hosted): Free.

What platforms does BookStack work on?

BookStack is available on Web.

Does BookStack have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. BookStack is listed for Web.

Does BookStack have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. BookStack is listed for Web.

Is BookStack open source?

Yes. BookStack is open source, according to its own site.

Does BookStack have an API?

Yes. BookStack offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does BookStack integrate with?

BookStack's listing names diagrams.net. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes BookStack?

BookStack is made by Dan Brown. It dates from 2015.

What are the alternatives to BookStack?

The closest alternatives to BookStack in our directory are Wiki.js, DokuWiki, MediaWiki, Outline and Docmost.

How does BookStack compare with other docs and wiki tools?

BookStack's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 34 of the 51 other docs and wiki tools we grade, and level with 8.

Is BookStack good value for money?

ToolGPA grades BookStack A for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $49.58 a month, against a middle price of $16.50 for the category: 30 of the 41 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of BookStack?

The plain part of BookStack you could make: wiki, Markdown and templates.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from BookStack’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from BookStack's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-15.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Dan Brown. Prices change, so check bookstackapp.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "BookStack: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/bookstack

Know someone choosing between docs and wiki tools?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/bookstack/guide

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See our other guides

The best-graded docs and wiki tools after BookStack, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what BookStack’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. BookStack is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Dan Brown. Prices and plans change: check bookstackapp.com before you buy.