BookStack vs Docs
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted wiki-style platform for organising documentation into books, chapters and pages.
Open source · MIT
Open-source collaborative text editor for teams, with real-time editing and self-hosting.
The short answer
Choose BookStack if you need…
- Teams that want an internal knowledge base they can host themselves
- People who want a simple, opinionated documentation tool rather than a customisable platform
- Anyone who finds larger wiki systems too complicated for everyday documentation
Choose Docs if you need…
- Teams that want a shared wiki or knowledge base they can host themselves
- Public organizations and companies that need control over where their data lives
- Groups who want real-time co-editing with live cursors and comments
- Developers who want to self-host and extend a Django and React application
Side-by-side
| BookStack | Docs | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 19.1k | 17k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Run with Docker |
| Main language | PHP | Python |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
BookStack
BookStack is a platform for storing and organising information and documentation. Content is arranged in a hierarchy of books, chapters and pages, and the README describes it as aiming for a simple experience where only basic word-processing skills are needed to create content. It is written in PHP and is hosted on Codeberg.
Docs
Docs is a web-based, open-source editor where people write, organize, and share documents together in real time. It lets you nest subpages to build a knowledge base, and it is described as an alternative to tools like Notion or Google Docs. You can use a public instance or host it yourself, which keeps your data under your control.
Best for
BookStack
- Teams that want an internal knowledge base they can host themselves
- People who want a simple, opinionated documentation tool rather than a customisable platform
- Anyone who finds larger wiki systems too complicated for everyday documentation
Docs
- Teams that want a shared wiki or knowledge base they can host themselves
- Public organizations and companies that need control over where their data lives
- Groups who want real-time co-editing with live cursors and comments
- Developers who want to self-host and extend a Django and React application
Strengths
BookStack
- Simple, opinionated interface intended to be intuitive for new users, according to the README
- Open source under the MIT license
- Actively maintained, with a stated aim of stable upgrade paths
Docs
- Real-time collaboration with live cursors and presence, built on Yjs and BlockNote
- Open source under the MIT License with self-hosting options such as Docker Compose and Kubernetes
- Optional AI writing helpers that work with your own model or API provider
Not ideal for
BookStack
- People who want to extend the platform for purposes beyond documentation, since the README says it is not designed as an extensible platform for other uses
- People who do not want to run and maintain their own server
- Projects that need a hosted service with no setup; the README points to third-party hosting providers rather than offering a first-party hosted option in this text
Docs
- People who only want a quick document with no setup: the README points to hosted public instances instead, which you would need to find and trust yourself
- Teams that need a fully self-managed, zero-maintenance service, since self-hosting requires running infrastructure
- Users who need PDF export or certain advanced features if they must avoid GPL-licensed components, because those rely on non-MIT BlockNote XL packages unless built with PUBLISH_AS_MIT=true
Trade-offs
BookStack
- The README says it is deliberately not built as a general extensible platform
- Setup requires self-hosting; installation details are in the linked official docs rather than this README excerpt
- The README notes translations may be out of date in the codebase and are managed through Crowdin
Docs
- Some advanced features such as PDF export depend on GPL-licensed BlockNote XL packages that are not MIT-compatible
- Self-hosting and local development require Docker, Make, and some technical comfort
- The AI cursor feature is labeled beta in the README
Getting started
BookStack
Clone the repository
git clone https://codeberg.org/bookstack/bookstack.gitDocs
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/suitenumerique/docsBootstrap the project for local development
make bootstrap FLUSH_ARGS='--no-input'Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BookStack and Docs?
BookStack: Self-hosted wiki-style platform for organising documentation into books, chapters and pages. Docs: Open-source collaborative text editor for teams, with real-time editing and self-hosting. BookStack suits teams that want an internal knowledge base they can host themselves, while Docs suits teams that want a shared wiki or knowledge base they can host themselves.
Are BookStack and Docs free?
BookStack: Free and open source. Docs: Free and open source.
Is BookStack or Docs more popular?
BookStack has more GitHub stars (19.1k) than Docs (17k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to BookStack and Docs?
Other options people compare them with include Gollum.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.