Kowiki vs MediaWiki: Modern vs Wikipedia-Style MediaWiki is the software that
powers Wikipedia. It's been battle-tested at massive scale but has a dated interface and requires technical setup. Kowiki is a modern managed service that connects your existing cloud documentation to Slack, Teams, and the web — with support for both internal and public wikis. ## The Core Difference MediaWiki is open-source wiki software. You install it on your own servers and it provides Wikipedia-style wiki functionality. Kowiki is a wiki platform that supports both internal and public wikis. It connects to Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive, and delivers content through native Slack and Teams interfaces, the web, and public wikis with custom domains. ## Chat Platform Integration: Kowiki Has It, MediaWiki Doesn't Kowiki provides native interfaces in both Slack and Teams: - Slack App Home: Browse folders, search documents, read content
- Teams Tabs: Embedded wiki views within Teams channels MediaWiki has no native Slack or Teams integration. It's designed as a standalone web application. ## Where Kowiki Wins ### Modern Interface Kowiki has a clean, modern interface. MediaWiki looks like it's from 2005 (because its design philosophy prioritizes familiarity for Wikipedia users). ### No DevOps Required Kowiki is fully managed. No servers to provision, no PHP to configure, no database to maintain. ### Native Chat Platform Interfaces Real, browsable interfaces in both Slack and Teams. Your team accesses knowledge without leaving their chat platform. ### Works With Existing Docs If your documentation is already in various content sources like Google Drive and Dropbox, Kowiki makes it accessible without migration. ### AI-Powered Answers Kowiki can answer questions from your documentation using AI. MediaWiki does not have built-in AI features. ## Where MediaWiki Wins ### Free and Open Source MediaWiki is completely free. No subscription costs. ### Proven at Scale Powers Wikipedia and thousands of other wikis. Battle-tested. ### Extensions Thousands of extensions to add functionality. ### Familiar Interface Anyone who's used Wikipedia knows how to use MediaWiki. ### Community Large community of users and developers. ## Pricing Comparison | Plan | Kowiki | MediaWiki | |------|--------|-----------| | Free | Yes (limited) | Yes (open-source) | | Pro | {{ PRO_PRICE_MONTHLY }} flat | Free | | Enterprise | {{ BUSINESS_PRICE_MONTHLY }} flat | Free | MediaWiki is free, but you pay for infrastructure and technical resources. Kowiki has subscription costs but no infrastructure overhead. ## The Bottom Line Choose Kowiki if: - You want a modern, easy-to-use interface - Your docs already live in cloud storage - You want native Slack and Teams interfaces - You need AI-powered answers from your knowledge base - You don't want to manage servers Choose MediaWiki if: - You want a free, open-source solution - You need Wikipedia-style wiki features - You have technical resources for setup and maintenance - You want extensive customization via extensions - You're building a public wiki like Wikipedia