knowledge base software · BookStack project

BookStack

Free, MIT-licensed wiki you host yourself, with roles, single sign-on, an API and optional public viewing.

58/100

#9 of 11 knowledge base tools
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

The software is free to download and install under the MIT licence; it runs on your own server^1,5.
The source code is under the MIT licence^5,6.
Sign-in works with SAML2, OIDC and LDAP¹.
Books and chapters export to HTML, PDF, Markdown, plain text and ZIP^3,4.
The project runs no managed hosting service⁵.

BookStack suits teams that can host a PHP and MySQL or MariaDB app and want a free, open-source documentation site with custom roles, SSO and an API^1,2,4,7. An admin can make the whole site publicly viewable¹. The catch: the pages we read show no search reports, reader feedback, help widget or approval workflow, and the project runs no hosting^1,5.

Best for: Teams that can run their own server and want a free documentation site.

Where the points come from

Price18 of 18

Publishing8 of 28

Readers and reports4 of 18

Access and data28 of 28

Security0 of 8

Price 18 of 18 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Cheapest paid plan	$0Free to download and install your own instance; hosting not counted¹.	12 / 12
Free plan	YesFree open-source software, MIT licensed, with no paid tier needed to publish^1,6.	6 / 6

Publishing 8 of 28 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Help centre on your own domain	YesSelf-hosted: you serve it from your own server and set the site address in the APP_URL setting^7,8.	8 / 8
Multiple languages	Not publishedNot published: the homepage and FAQ describe interface translation only, not translated articles^1,5.	0 / 7
Article version history	Not publishedHomepage mentions page revisions; comparing or restoring them is not described on the pages read¹.	0 / 6
Review and approval workflow	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,5.	0 / 7

Readers and reports 4 of 18 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Search reports	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,5.	0 / 6
Reader feedback on articles	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,5.	0 / 4
Help widget for your site or app	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,5.	0 / 4
Login-only articles	YesPermissions can be set per role or for Everyone Else on shelves, books, chapters and pages².	4 / 4

Access and data 28 of 28 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Single sign-on (SAML or OIDC)	YesHomepage says BookStack supports OIDC, SAML2 and LDAP¹.	7 / 7
API to read and write articles	YesPublic API docs list POST and PUT endpoints for pages⁴.	7 / 7
Bulk export of articles	YesAPI docs list book and chapter export in HTML, PDF, plain text, Markdown and ZIP; user docs match^3,4.	5 / 5
Editor roles and permissions	YesAdmins create and edit roles under Settings > Roles, with system and content permissions².	4 / 4
Open source	YesSource code is distributed under the MIT licence^5,6.	5 / 5

Security 0 of 8 points

Rule	What is published	Points
SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ⁵.	0 / 8

The rule behind each line: how we score knowledge base tools.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Self-hostedYour own server	Free^1,6	$0	MIT licence; server costs not counted

Strengths

Free and MIT-licensed^1,6.
Admins can create custom roles and set permissions on shelves, books, chapters and pages².
SAML2, OIDC and LDAP sign-in¹.
The REST API can create, update and delete pages⁴.

Limits

You host it yourself; the project says it offers no managed hosting⁵.
The homepage and FAQ describe translation of the interface; translated articles are not described^1,5.
The FAQ says core features are built in rather than added through a plugin approach⁵.
No search reports, reader feedback or help widget appear on the pages we read^1,5.

Other knowledge base tools

1
ProProfs Knowledge BaseVery small teams that want to start free and pay per author
81/100
$49/mocheapest paid plan
2
GitBookProduct and developer documentation teams that want change requests and Git sync
77/100
$77/mocheapest paid plan
3
ArchbeeProduct teams that need review rules and a docs widget
73/100
$80/mocheapest paid plan
4
HelpjuiceCompanies that want an editorial review step and an API and can pay a flat fee
70/100
$249/mocheapest paid plan

All 11 knowledge base tools

Sources

BookStack, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Roles and permissions, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Exporting and importing, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
BookStack API documentation, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Project FAQ, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
bookstack/bookstack, Codeberg. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Installation, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Subdirectory Setup, BookStack. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: www.bookstackapp.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with BookStack project.