OSI-licensed open source
Knowledge management software lets teams capture, organise and find what they know: internal wikis, documentation, notes and linked knowledge bases. Open-source tools keep content under your control and avoid per-seat pricing, which matters for engineering teams storing runbooks and architecture notes.
This page lists OSI-licensed tools verified on their repositories, from team wikis (BookStack, Wiki.js, Docmost, XWiki) to workspaces and personal knowledge tools (AppFlowy, Logseq, SiYuan). Outline is left out because it uses the BSL 1.1, which is source-available rather than open source.
Tools, licences and pricing checked against vendor and repository pages on November 7, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| BookStack | Team documentation with books and chapters | Free, open source | MIT |
| Wiki.js | Developer-friendly wikis with Git-backed storage options | Free, open source | AGPL-3.0 |
| Docmost | Confluence-style team spaces | Free, open source (self-hosted); enterprise features under a separate licence, See vendor pricing | AGPL-3.0 |
| AppFlowy | Notion-style workspace you can self-host | Free, open source (self-hosted); cloud plans, See vendor pricing | AGPL-3.0 |
| Logseq | Personal linked-notes outliner | Free, open source | AGPL-3.0 |
| SiYuan | Personal and small-team knowledge bases | Free, open source | AGPL-3.0 |
| XWiki | Enterprise wikis and wiki-based applications | Free, open source; paid support, See vendor pricing | LGPL-2.1 |
Best for: Team documentation with books and chapters · Free, open source
BookStack is a self-hosted documentation platform for storing and organising information with a simple, intuitive experience that needs only basic word-processing skills. The project notes it is now managed on Codeberg.
Best for: Developer-friendly wikis with Git-backed storage options · Free, open source
Wiki.js is an open-source wiki application built on Node.js, positioned as a lightweight and capable alternative to heavier wiki platforms.
Best for: Confluence-style team spaces · Free, open source (self-hosted); enterprise features under a separate licence, See vendor pricing
Docmost is open-source wiki and documentation software with real-time collaboration, diagrams, spaces, permissions, comments and page history. It positions itself as an alternative to Confluence and Notion.
Best for: Notion-style workspace you can self-host · Free, open source (self-hosted); cloud plans, See vendor pricing
AppFlowy is an open-source workspace built with Flutter and Rust for notes, wikis, databases and project management. It runs on desktop, iOS and Android and can be self-hosted.
Best for: Personal linked-notes outliner · Free, open source
Logseq is an open-source knowledge management and collaboration platform emphasising privacy. It supports Markdown and Org-mode files, PDF annotation and task management, with mobile apps.
Best for: Personal and small-team knowledge bases · Free, open source
SiYuan is a self-hosted open-source personal knowledge management tool with block-level references and Markdown WYSIWYG editing. It runs on desktop, mobile or as a Docker app in the browser.
Best for: Enterprise wikis and wiki-based applications · Free, open source; paid support, See vendor pricing
XWiki Platform is a general-purpose wiki system that supplies runtime services for applications built on top of it.
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| If you need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Simple team documentation | BookStack |
| Modern wiki for developers | Wiki.js |
| Confluence-style spaces | Docmost |
| Notion-like workspace | AppFlowy |
| Personal linked notes | Logseq, SiYuan |
| Enterprise wiki applications | XWiki |
Quick answers to common questions
Tools for capturing, organising and retrieving organisational knowledge, such as wikis, documentation platforms and linked note systems.
Outline is licensed under BSL 1.1, which is source-available and not OSI open source, so it is not listed.
BookStack suits non-technical teams with a book-and-page structure; Wiki.js is more free-form and developer-oriented.
Yes, all listed tools can be self-hosted; some also offer paid cloud or enterprise editions.
List it on TechLogHub and we'll review it for this guide.
