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VERDICT

Should I use DokuWiki?

Open-source, no-database wiki - dokuwiki.org

Depends. Adopt it if you're technical, want a free self-hosted wiki, and can live with markup editing. Skip it if you need vendor support, polished collaboration, or a hosted product.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~25 public sources: Reddit threads, G2/Capterra listings, CVE databases, forum posts, and official docs.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Self-hosted (open source)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Self-hosters and homelab users
  • IT and internal documentation teams
  • Zero-budget teams
  • Technical teams storing SOPs and manuals

Not for

  • Non-technical teams — you must learn wiki markup syntax
  • Enterprises needing vendor SLAs or paid support
  • Teams unwilling to self-host, patch, and manage plugins
  • Guess: teams wanting real-time collaborative editing a la Notion

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Plugins add risk: runcommand plugin RCE (CVE-2025-51958) shows third-party code can be critical

medium

Free software isn't free of cost — hosting, backups, and patching are on you

medium

Self-managed upgrades have repeatedly tripped up long-time users

medium

No paid support path; help depends on community forum response

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open source
  • No database required — flat files simplify setup and backups
  • Quick to set up, lightweight footprint
  • Self-hosters still call it the best wiki

Cons

  • Syntax-based editing, not modern WYSIWYG
  • Advanced features require plugins — extra maintenance surface
  • You own updates; users report upgrade problems
  • No vendor support — community forums only

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 9 sources - Actively maintained with a security page, but recent CVEs include a plugin RCE and XSS — patching is your job.

official x2review x4security x2news x1
  • CVE-2025-51958: runcommand plugin remote code execution, Critical command injection/RCE in a third-party runcommand plugin.
  • CVE-2025-61224: cross-site scripting, XSS vulnerability disclosed in the NVD.
  • XSS in DokuWiki 2025-05 release, Cross-site scripting vulnerability tracked as GHSA-pp4p-g4w7-gvp7.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, open source, no license fees
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Quick to set up, simple to administer
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Core wiki solid; advanced features depend on plugins
  • Support quality: 2/5. Community forums only, no vendor
  • Security posture: 3/5. Active project, but recent plugin RCE and XSS CVEs
  • $0 Starting price Open source, self-hosted
  • Yes Free tier Entire product is free software
  • 13 G2 reviews Small review base
  • 14,807 Live sites Detected by BuiltWith

Pricing

Self-hosted (open source)

$0

  • Full wiki software
  • No database needed
  • You pay hosting and admin time only

Security

Actively maintained with a security page, but recent CVEs include a plugin RCE and XSS — patching is your job.

  • CVE-2025-51958: runcommand plugin remote code executionCritical command injection/RCE in a third-party runcommand plugin.⁶
  • CVE-2025-61224: cross-site scriptingXSS vulnerability disclosed in the NVD.⁷
  • XSS in DokuWiki 2025-05 releaseCross-site scripting vulnerability tracked as GHSA-pp4p-g4w7-gvp7.

What users say

Self-hosters consistently praise its simplicity and no-database design; complaints center on dated editing and upgrade friction.

“Dokuwiki is still the best wiki.”
Reddit, r/selfhosted

Companies that use it

  • University of Twente
Full analysis

Based on ~25 public sources: Reddit threads, G2/Capterra listings, CVE databases, forum posts, and official docs.

Free, no-database wiki loved by self-hosters; wrong fit for non-technical teams wanting modern collaboration.

Methodology

Based on ~25 public sources: Reddit threads, G2/Capterra listings, CVE databases, forum posts, and official docs.

Sources

  1. DokuWiki official sitedokuwiki.org
    official
  2. DokuWiki Review 2026: The No-Database Wikidocsio.co
    review
  3. Why is DokuWiki so popular? — r/selfhostedreddit.com
    review
  4. Looking for a better Wiki — r/selfhostedreddit.com
    review
  5. DokuWiki Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  6. CVE-2025-51958: DokuWiki runcommand Plugin RCEthehackerwire.com
    security
  7. CVE-2025-61224 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  8. Websites using DokuWiki — BuiltWithtrends.builtwith.com
    news
  9. DokuWiki — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    official

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