XWiki
French open-source wiki with structured data and application-building capability, and a documented migration path from Confluence
Quick Overview
| Company | XWiki SAS |
|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge Base & Intranet |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Founded | 2004 |
| EU Presence | Yes - France (EU) |
| Data Location | Your own infrastructure, or XWiki Cloud EU |
| Open Source | Yes (LGPLv2.1) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Yes - fully self-hostable |
| Main Features | Structured data in wiki pages, application builder, granular permissions, versioning, Confluence migration, extensions marketplace, LDAP and SSO |
| Pricing | Free self-hosted / XWiki Cloud from about EUR 3/user/month / support subscriptions |
| Best For | Organisations needing a self-hosted knowledge base with structure and permissions |
| Replaces | Confluence, SharePoint, Notion |
Detailed Review
XWiki is more than a wiki. Alongside ordinary documentation pages it supports structured data — define a class, add fields, and pages become records you can query, filter and report on. That turns a knowledge base into a lightweight application platform.
It has been developed in Paris since 2004, is LGPL-licensed, and is fully self-hostable, which makes it a genuine alternative to SharePoint for organisations that cannot use Microsoft 365.
Structure, Not Just Pages
A supplier register, an equipment inventory, a decision log or a risk register can be built as structured pages with defined fields, then listed, filtered and reported on. Organisations routinely solve these problems with spreadsheets that nobody maintains; XWiki puts them in the same place as the documentation that references them.
The application builder lets non-developers create these structures without writing code.
Migration from Confluence
XWiki actively targets teams leaving Confluence and maintains migration tooling for it, which is the practical concern for anyone reconsidering Atlassian's pricing and cloud-only direction. Spaces, pages, attachments and history can be brought across.
Permissions and Self-Hosting
Permissions can be set per wiki, per space and per page, with LDAP and SSO integration. Self-hosting means the entire knowledge base — including whatever sensitive material inevitably accumulates in it — stays on infrastructure you control.
Limitations to Consider
XWiki's interface is dated compared with Nuclino or Notion, and the editing experience is less pleasant, which affects adoption by non-technical staff. Self-hosting a Java application requires operational capability. Its power comes with complexity — the application builder in particular needs someone to invest time in learning it.
Who Should Use XWiki
Organisations that need a self-hosted knowledge base with real structure, granular permissions and no vendor dependency, particularly those migrating away from Confluence or unable to adopt Microsoft 365.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Structured data and application building
- Fully self-hostable, LGPL licensed
- Granular permissions with LDAP and SSO
- Documented Confluence migration path
- French vendor with commercial support
Cons
- Dated interface affects adoption
- Self-hosting a Java app needs capability
- Application builder has a learning curve
Alternatives to XWiki
Other European knowledge base & intranet worth comparing before you decide:
Nextcloud
Germany · Files, Collectives wiki and groupware you host yourself
OpenProject
Germany · Project management with a built-in wiki, fully self-hosted
Nuclino
Germany · Fast, lightweight team wiki with no configuration
Zenkit
Germany · Wiki, tasks and databases in one connected workspace
See all European knowledge base & intranet or compare them directly against Confluence on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pages can carry structured fields, so a wiki page becomes a record you can query and report on. That lets you build registers, inventories and logs alongside documentation instead of in separate spreadsheets.
Yes, XWiki maintains migration tooling for Confluence and actively targets teams leaving it, bringing across spaces, pages, attachments and history.
The software is free and open source under LGPL, self-hosted. XWiki SAS sells cloud hosting and support subscriptions if you would rather not run it yourself.
Less so than Nuclino or Notion — the interface is dated and the editing experience is functional. Its strengths are structure, permissions and self-hosting rather than editorial polish.
XWiki is built as a European alternative to Confluence: French open-source wiki with structured data and application-building capability, and a documented migration path from Confluence. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where the two genuinely differ before switching.
XWiki is one of several European Knowledge Base & Intranet tools covered on this site. See the full Knowledge Base & Intranet category page for how it ranks against its closest European competitors.