Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MediaWiki VS ReadMe

Compare MediaWiki VS ReadMe and see what are their differences

MediaWiki logo MediaWiki

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

ReadMe logo ReadMe

A collaborative developer hub for your API or code.
  • MediaWiki Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23
  • ReadMe Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-03-04

MediaWiki features and specs

  • Open Source
    MediaWiki is free and open-source software, allowing users to modify the source code to fit their specific needs without incurring licensing fees.
  • Scalable
    MediaWiki is designed to handle large-scale projects, making it suitable for enterprise-level documentation as well as large communal knowledge bases like Wikipedia.
  • Version Control
    Each edit in MediaWiki is stored, allowing users to track changes, revert to previous versions, and see the edit history, which is crucial for collaborative environments.
  • Extensive Documentation
    MediaWiki comes with comprehensive documentation, making it easier for developers and users to get started and troubleshoot any issues that arise.
  • Multilingual Support
    MediaWiki supports multiple languages, enabling the creation of content in various languages, useful for global organizations.
  • Extensible
    MediaWiki is highly extensible via plugins and extensions, allowing users to add functionalities tailored to their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of MediaWiki

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and configuring MediaWiki can be complex and time-consuming, potentially requiring technical expertise.
  • Maintenance
    MediaWiki requires regular maintenance, including updates, backups, and performance tuning, which can be resource-intensive.
  • Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with wikis or MediaWiki syntax, the learning curve can be steep, requiring training or time to become proficient.
  • Performance
    MediaWiki can become resource-intensive as the database grows, potentially requiring robust server resources to maintain performance.
  • Limited Features Out-of-the-Box
    While highly extensible, the core installation of MediaWiki has limited features, requiring additional plugins to add necessary functionalities.
  • Security Vulnerabilities
    As with any widely-used software, MediaWiki may be targeted for security vulnerabilities, necessitating regular updates and security patches.

ReadMe features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    ReadMe offers a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create and manage documentation without requiring extensive technical skills.
  • Interactive API Documentation
    The platform provides interactive API documentation, allowing users to try out API calls directly within the documentation, which enhances user understanding and engagement.
  • Customizability
    ReadMe allows a high level of customization, enabling users to tailor the look and feel of their documentation to match their brand identity.
  • Analytics
    The service offers built-in analytics, providing insights into how users interact with the documentation, which can help in improving user experience and understanding common issues.
  • Version Control
    ReadMe supports version control, making it easy to manage and maintain documentation for different versions of an API or product.
  • Collaboration Tools
    It includes collaboration tools that facilitate teamwork by allowing multiple users to work on documentation simultaneously.
  • Markdown Support
    The platform supports Markdown, making it easy for users to format their documentation efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of ReadMe

  • Cost
    Compared to some other documentation platforms, ReadMe can be more expensive, especially for small startups or individual developers.
  • Learning Curve
    While user-friendly, some advanced features may have a learning curve, especially for those who are not familiar with documentation tools.
  • Limited Offline Access
    ReadMe primarily operates as an online service, which can be limiting for users who need offline access to their documentation.
  • Performance on Large Projects
    There may be performance issues or slowdowns when dealing with very large projects or extensive documentation, requiring optimization.
  • Feature Limitations in Lower Tiers
    Some advanced features and customizability options are restricted to higher pricing tiers, which may not be accessible to all users.

MediaWiki videos

Using A Self Hosted MediaWiki As A Private Documentation Server with Visual Editor

More videos:

  • Review - MediaWiki vs. Confluence

ReadMe videos

No ReadMe videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MediaWiki and ReadMe)
WiKis
100 100%
0% 0
Documentation
0 0%
100% 100
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Documentation As A Service & Tools

User comments

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Reviews

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

MediaWiki Reviews

Top 12 Self-hosted Wiki Engines for 2024: A Comprehensive Guide
Released in 2002, MediaWiki replaced the initial UseModWiki software used by Wikipedia. It evolved with Wikipedia's growth, introducing features like namespaces, watchlists, and user talk pages. It's been adopted by many organizations for their wikis due to its robust and scalable nature.
Source: medevel.com
The 10 Best Self-hosted Wiki Software for Linux System
MediaWiki is an outstanding self-hosted Wiki software for editing rich multimedia and developing collaborative projects. It is based on the Open Source Technology Project (OST), which allows the distribution of software modules. The main difference between MediaWiki and other wiki software is that MediaWiki uses a lightweight wiki markup, which is easier to learn in the...
Best 11 Open-source Free Wiki Engines for teams and enterprise in 2022
MediaWiki is an open-source Wiki engine that runs Wikipedia. It is the oldest system in the list and some may consider it the king of Wiki engines. It supports almost all available languages as it is easy to install and use.
Source: medevel.com
The Best 20 Wiki Software For Your Business& Internal Knowledge for 2022
MediaWiki is a free wiki software that runs platforms like Wikipedia and Wiktionary. It helps in collecting and managing knowledge and making it available to your target audience. Customizable and reliable, this wiki tool requires server maintenance and installation. The best part about MediaWiki is that it provides translation services that help you localize the wiki in...
17 open source wiki engine/software
MediaWiki is a free and open source server based wiki engine written in PHP developed by Wikipedia. MediaWiki is an extremely powerful, scalable software and a feature-rich wiki implementation, that uses PHP to process and display data stored in its MySQL database. Pages use MediaWiki’s wiki-text format, so that users without knowledge of XHTML or CSS can edit pages easily...

ReadMe Reviews

Best Gitbook Alternatives You Need to Try in 2023
Readme.com is a developer hub that allows users to publish API documentation. It focuses on making API references interactive by allowing to Try out API calls, log metrics about the API call usage, and more. This means it lacks some capabilities, like a review system and several blocks, which the Gitbook editor supports.
Source: www.archbee.com
12 Most Useful Knowledge Management Tools for Your Business
ReadMe offers integration with apps like Slack, Google Analytics, and Zendesk. One of its most significant advantages is the metrics option which lets you see how customers are using your API.
Source: www.archbee.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ReadMe seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. 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.

MediaWiki mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MediaWiki yet. Tracking of MediaWiki recommendations started around Mar 2021.

ReadMe mentions (23)

  • 7 Top API Documentation Software Tools 2025 (With Reviews and Pricing)✨
    For more information and to subscribe, visit ReadMe. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Leveraging API Documentation for Faster Developer Onboarding
    Documentation portals like ReadMe provide complete Developer experience platforms with customization, analytics, and feedback mechanisms. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Integrating OpenAPI With Mintlify
    According to the OpenAPI specification initiative, OpenAPI is the standard for defining your API. This means that with the help of this file, you can migrate your API documentation from one platform to another. For example, you can migrate your API docs from Postman to ReadMe or Mintlify or vice versa. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • How to view API request examples in a ReadMe documentation.
    My recent experience with The Movie Database (TMDB) API documentation underscores the importance of request examples in API documentation. It took me a couple of hours to figure out how to make a successful request to an endpoint because I couldn't access a request sample. However, I eventually found it in an unexpected place. ReadMe on the other hand didn't make it easy. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Do you Know Only Fools Use APIs Doc Platform?
    I came across readme.io some days back, and It's like that fresh outfit you wear to high-end parties—the one with crisp lines, dark colors, and intricate designs that make you stand out. Their documentation platform is sleek, modern, and highly customizable to fit your brand's drip. It's like having a tailor sew a 007 suit (James Bond) to your specs. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing MediaWiki and ReadMe, 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.

GitBook - Modern Publishing, Simply taking your books from ideas to finished, polished books.

TiddlyWiki - a non-linear personal web notebook

Docusaurus - Easy to maintain open source documentation websites

Wiki.js - An open source, modern and powerful wiki app built on Node.js, Git, and Markdown.

Archbee.io - Archbee is a developer-focused product docs tool for your team. Build beautiful product documentation sites or internal wikis/knowledge bases to get your team and product knowledge in one place.