# Foswiki review (2026): is it any good? > Free wiki platform you run on your own server Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Foswiki is a wiki platform that teams edit in the web browser. Macros let users build dynamic pages such as status boards, to-do lists and trackers, and more than 200 extensions add functions. It is written in Perl, installed on your own server, and compatible with TWiki. - **Category:** Docs & Wikis - **Made by:** Foswiki community - **Website:** https://foswiki.org - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want hosting, as you provide and maintain the server. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Foswiki is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to download and run; you provide and maintain the server. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Foswiki | $0 | Free platform with community-based support. You install and host it yourself. | Read from https://foswiki.org/Home/WebHome on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Foswiki before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Organizations that want to run their own wiki with no license cost - Teams with TWiki sites to migrate ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Foswiki is a free wiki you install and run yourself, with browser editing, macros and extensions. It needs a Perl server, support comes only from the community, and the site recommends upgrading when its security releases appear. - **Value for money: C.** Free 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: A.** Free to download and run, with no plan caps. The cost is the server and the upkeep, which sit outside the listing. - **Features: C.** Editing 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: D.** You install and maintain it yourself, which needs a Perl server and, on Unix-like systems, a few shell commands. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, served from your own machine. No integrations or apps are listed on the pages read. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Foswiki's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among docs and wiki tools - Foswiki's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 10 of the 69 other docs and wiki tools we grade, and level with 14. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 51 of 69) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Foswiki has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/docs-wikis ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Foswiki is free, so making your own would save you nothing. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 45 of the 69 other docs and wiki tools grade higher. - You could make: Wiki and documents: an app builder makes these well. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Wiki, Documents, Self-hostable ## Alternatives - [MediaWiki](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mediawiki): The free wiki software that powers Wikipedia. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foswiki-vs-mediawiki) - [DokuWiki](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dokuwiki): Open-source wiki software that needs no database. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dokuwiki-vs-foswiki) - [XWiki](https://toolgpa.com/tools/xwiki): Open-source enterprise wiki with structured data and apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foswiki-vs-xwiki) - [Tiki Wiki](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tiki-wiki): Open-source wiki, CMS and groupware in one package. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/foswiki-vs-tiki-wiki) - [BookStack](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bookstack): Free self-hosted wiki organized into books, chapters and pages. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bookstack-vs-foswiki) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://foswiki.org/Home/WebHome - https://foswiki.org/System/SystemRequirements Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/foswiki Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).