BookStack vs Outline
BookStack, Outline compared on license, free-edition limits, deployment and project health. Change a project below to compare something else.
| BookStack | Outline | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Documentation & Knowledge | Documentation & Knowledge |
| License | MIT LicenseOpen source (OSI) | Business Source License 1.1Source-available |
| Free edition | Fully featured free edition | Some features paywalled |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Self-hosted · Cloud |
| Self-hosting setup | Needs a database | Multi-service setup |
| SSO / SAML | Free | Paid |
| Role-based access control | Free | Free |
| Audit logs | Not confirmed | Paid |
| Multi-user / teams | Free | Free |
| Backups and restore | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| API access | Free | Free |
| Support SLA | Paid | Paid |
| GitHub stars | 19k | 41k |
| Last release | Sep 29, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 |
| Alternative to | Confluence, Notion | Confluence, Google Docs |
In short
- BookStack is licensed MIT License (open source (osi)). Free edition: fully featured free edition.
- Outline is licensed Business Source License 1.1 (source-available). Free edition: some features paywalled.
Each project page lists the official sources behind these answers. Where the official pages do not say, the table shows “Not confirmed”.