Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

BookStack VS Responsively

Compare BookStack VS Responsively and see what are their differences

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BookStack logo BookStack

An open source knowledge management application that's focused on ease of use.

Responsively logo Responsively

Develop responsive web-apps 5x faster!
  • BookStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-31
  • Responsively Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16

A web browser that aids responsive web app development. Preview all target screens in a single window side-by-side. Brings down your development time. Use your already-familiar dev-tools from the browser. No additional learning curve!

Responsively

$ Details
free
Platforms
Windows Mac OSX Linux
Release Date
2020 May

BookStack features and specs

  • Open Source
    BookStack is an open-source platform, meaning it is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and contribute to. This ensures a large community support and continuous updates.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software has a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users of all skill levels to create and manage documentation.
  • Integrated WYSIWYG Editor
    The application includes a built-in 'What You See Is What You Get' editor, making it simple to format text and add multimedia without HTML knowledge.
  • Permission Management
    BookStack offers granular permission settings, which allow administrators to control access on a per-page, book, or shelf level.
  • Customizable
    With open-source software, the level of customization available is high, allowing organizations to tailor the software to their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of BookStack

  • Hosting and Maintenance
    As an open-source product, users need to handle their own hosting and maintenance, which could be challenging for those without technical expertise.
  • Limited Integrations
    BookStack does not natively integrate with as many third-party applications compared to some proprietary knowledge management systems.
  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, setting up and customizing the platform may require a learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with open-source software.
  • Performance
    In some instances, performance issues have been reported, especially when handling a large volume of data or concurrent users.
  • Feature Limitations
    Some advanced features found in proprietary knowledge management systems, such as advanced analytics or AI-driven search, may be lacking.

Responsively features and specs

  • Multi-device Preview
    Allows simultaneous preview of a website on different device screen sizes, facilitating responsive design testing and debugging.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, it allows for community contributions, transparency, and no licensing fees.
  • Sync Scrolling and Clicks
    Enables synchronized scrolling and clicking across all previews, making it easier to test interactions and layouts uniformly.
  • Customizable Viewports
    Users can add, remove, or adjust predefined viewports to match specific device requirements or test cases.
  • Lightweight and Fast
    Designed to be performant and quick, reducing the overhead on development machines and improving productivity.
  • Cross-platform
    Compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broader user adoption.

Possible disadvantages of Responsively

  • Limited Browser Support
    May not offer the same level of browser compatibility testing as dedicated tools like BrowserStack or Sauce Labs.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users might require some time to get accustomed to the interface and functionalities compared to more straightforward testing tools.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple device previews simultaneously can consume considerable system resources, which might slow down other tasks.
  • No Cloud Integration
    Lacks integration with cloud services for remote testing, unlike some paid alternatives.
  • Dependence on Electron
    As an Electron-based app, it might have a larger memory footprint compared to native applications.

Analysis of BookStack

Overall verdict

  • BookStack is a good choice for individuals and teams looking for a straightforward, open-source documentation tool. It's ideal for those who prefer a self-hosted solution without incurring additional costs or dealing with the complexities of some enterprise-level systems.

Why this product is good

  • BookStack is an open-source, self-hosted platform designed to make documentation and knowledge sharing easy. It's praised for its user-friendly interface, which resembles a digital version of a traditional book with chapters and pages, making it intuitive for users to navigate and organize content. The platform supports Markdown editing, which allows for easy formatting and media embedding. In addition, it has built-in support for authentication methods and role-based access control, providing flexibility and security for teams. The active community and frequent updates also contribute to its reliability and ongoing improvement.

Recommended for

    Small to medium-sized teams, open-source enthusiasts, educational institutions, and projects that require a user-friendly documentation system with the flexibility of self-hosting.

BookStack videos

BookStack Review- 7 Brief Lessons in Physics

More videos:

  • Review - Bookstack, a free, open source, self hosted documentation wiki with style.
  • Review - Bookstack - Meine favorisierte Wiki Software

Responsively videos

Responsively App Demo

More videos:

  • Review - Responsively Style Checkboxes, freeCodeCamp Bootstrap Review, lesson 16
  • Review - Line up Form Elements Responsively with Bootstrap, freeCodeCamp Bootstrap Review, lesson 18

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to BookStack and Responsively)
WiKis
100 100%
0% 0
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Knowledge Base
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using BookStack and Responsively. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare BookStack and Responsively

BookStack Reviews

Best Gitbook Alternatives You Need to Try in 2023
Bookstack is a simple, self-hosted platform for organizing and storing information, focusing on creating a knowledge base. It is similar to Gitbook in its functionality but differs in how it is organized and presented. It allows you to collect information in a hierarchical structure, similar to a book, with chapters and sections. This can make it easier to navigate large...
Source: www.archbee.com
The 10 Best Self-hosted Wiki Software for Linux System
Another powerful self-hosted Wiki software for Linux is BookStack. One of the most attractive features of BookStack is its cross-book sorting capability. It can sort all books based on tags such as title, author name, publisher, and genre. Users can even use it to search for particular titles based on a keyword. Other features of this open-source software include image...
Best 11 Open-source Free Wiki Engines for teams and enterprise in 2022
The BookStack App is not just a Wiki Engine, but it works the same. It aims for creating books by easing collaboration among writers and editors, we run it for us and some clients as a Wiki Engine, where they use books as projects.
Source: medevel.com

Responsively Reviews

  1. Open source and best
    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Sizzy, Polypane

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Responsively seems to be a lot more popular than BookStack. While we know about 46 links to Responsively, we've tracked only 4 mentions of BookStack. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

BookStack mentions (4)

  • Ask HN: Best self-hosted wiki solution in 2025? Mediawiki or something else?
    Check out https://bookstackapp.com (PHP/Laravel). - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Customize the theme a bit?
    That said, is it possible to customize the theme a bit? Specifically, how can I set the code-block background to dark-grey? Also, how can I make the horizontal line a bit taller than 1px? I saw the Customizing Visuals page on bookstackapp.com (specifically the "Changing Code Block Themes" topic) but was a little lost on exactly how to make the changes. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Looking to move internal docs from share Onenote to.. ?
    Maybe look at BookStack to see if it fits your needs. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Self hosting WordPress website
    If youโ€™re looking for a books-styled documentation platform, look into https://bookstackapp.com. Source: over 3 years ago

Responsively mentions (46)

  • Best Free Tools for Frontend Developers to Speed Up Workflow
    ๐Ÿ” 5. Responsively App Testing responsiveness on multiple devices? Responsively App is an open-source tool that lets you preview your site across devices side-by-side. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Polypane, The browser for ambitious web developers
    To save other readers a click: https://responsively.app/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • 22 Unique Developer Resources You Should Explore
    URL: https://responsively.app What it does: View your website across multiple devices and screen sizes simultaneously. Why it's great: Perfect for real-time responsive testing โ€” save time and effort! - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Responsively App: The Ultimate Tool for Web Developers on Windows
    You can download Responsively App from their official website. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • My Hacktober Journey as a Contributor
    Hacktoberfest has been an incredible ride! As a maintainer of the Responsively App, Iโ€™ve had the privilege of witnessing developers come together to support and improve our open-source project. Seeing the growth in contributions this year has been both surprising and inspiring. Itโ€™s been a chance for us to engage with developers who are as excited about improving Responsively as we are. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing BookStack and Responsively, you can also consider the following products

DokuWiki - DokuWiki is a simple to use and highly versatile Open Source wiki software that doesn't require a database.

Polypane - The browser for ambitious web developers that want to 5ร— their quality and efficiency.

TiddlyWiki - a non-linear personal web notebook

Sizzy - The browser for designers and developers

MediaWiki - MediaWiki is a free software wiki package written in PHP, originally for use on Wikipedia.

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and free web browser, built for the modern web. Give it a try on your desktop today.