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SPECIFICTION
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BookStack

bookstackapp.com

From £37.50/mo Free plan WebLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 9.0 #2 of 50 in HR Knowledge Base Software

What it is

BookStack is a free, open-source platform for organizing and storing information on a self-hosted instance. It organizes content into Books, Chapters and Pages, with a WYSIWYG editor and an optional Markdown editor with live preview. Search works within a book or across books, chapters and pages, and users can link directly to paragraphs. The editor includes diagrams.net drawing capability. Authentication supports OIDC, SAML2 and LDAP, as well as social-based secondary authentication options. Built-in multi-factor authentication can be enforced by role and uses TOTP and static backup codes. Content exports include contained HTML, PDF, plain text, Markdown and Portable ZIP. The project describes a growing REST API for automation and importing content. The MIT-licensed software has no cost to download and install. Setup requires PHP 8.2 or newer, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6 or newer, Git, Composer 2.2 or newer and a PHP-compatible web server. BookStack does not currently support shared PHP hosting. Community support is free but does not assure a response, support or resolution; paid support plans are also listed.

Spec sheet

Product
BookStack is a simple, self-hosted, easy-to-use platform for organising and storing information.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Publishing audience
bothRead 20 Sep 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Free plan
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · bookstackapp.com
API
The project describes a growing REST API for automation and importing content.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Security
BookStack supports CSP headers to increase protection against malicious content and stores MFA secrets encrypted in the database.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Support
Official paid support services are provided by HTTP Functions Ltd., while community support is available through discussions, Codeberg, Reddit, documentation and YouTube.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
License
BookStack is fully free and open, MIT licensed, and has no cost to download and install your own instance.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Founded
2015Read 28 Sep 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Authentication
BookStack supports OIDC, SAML2 and LDAP, plus social-based secondary authentication options.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Custom domain
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Diagrams
The page editor has built-in diagrams.net drawing capability.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Editor
The page editor provides a WYSIWYG interface, with an optional Markdown editor that includes live preview.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Exports
Content can be exported as contained HTML, PDF, plain text, Markdown or Portable ZIP.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Hosting limit
BookStack does not currently support shared PHP hosting.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Installation
Installation requires PHP 8.2 or newer, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6 or newer, Git, Composer 2.2 or newer and a PHP-compatible web server.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
MFA
Built-in MFA can be enforced per role and includes TOTP and static backup codes.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Organization
Content is organized into Books, Chapters and Pages.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Search
Content is fully searchable at book level or across all books, chapters and pages, with direct paragraph linking.Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
SSO support
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Version history
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · bookstackapp.com

Plans and prices

BookStack self-hosted Free No cost to downloading and installing your own instance MIT licensed · self-hosted Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Community Support Free Free Community discussions, Codeberg or Reddit · documentation and YouTube guidance · no assurance of response, support or resolution Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Professional Support Plan £450 a year £450 /year Email/help-desk support · installation and updating issues · high-priority bug triage Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com
Enterprise Support Plan £4,500 a year £4,500 /year Professional plan included · API integration and platform-extension assistance · up to 10 video-support hours per year Read 1 Oct 2026 · bookstackapp.com

Every BookStack plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • MIT licensed with no installation cost.
  • Supports OIDC, SAML2 and LDAP.
  • Role-based MFA uses TOTP and backup codes.
  • Exports content in five listed formats.

Limits

  • Requires a PHP-compatible web server and database.
  • Does not support shared PHP hosting.
  • Free community support does not assure resolution.

Who it suits

BookStack suits people or teams able to host and maintain their own information platform. It may fit organizations that want structured pages, search, authentication options and export formats, provided their hosting meets its requirements.

Verdict

BookStack offers a clear content hierarchy, search, authentication and export options without a software charge for self-hosting. Its server requirements and lack of shared PHP hosting support make hosting setup an important part of the decision.

Where Specifiction places it

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