Some Popular Low-Cost Wiki Platforms
There are many choices for wiki platforms. Listed below are a few free or low-cost options that include most of the features desirable in a wiki to be used by a group for collaboration and information sharing.
Open-source software package originally written for Wikipedia. Although the look and feel will be familiar to most users, since it is the same software that Wikipedia is built on, the user requires some knowledge of simple formatting code. For example, to build a link to another page within the wiki, the user must insert brackets around the page name, e.g., [[Another Page]].
Easy-to-use, point and click editor for creating and editing wiki pages. Pages can be customized. Comments forum available on every page. Nice tool to add widgets, such as calendars, photo shows, videos, and Google maps to wiki pages. A simple, ad-supported wiki is available free of charge; ad-free wikis cost between $10 and $100 per month, depending on the number of features required.
Hosted solution. WYSIWIG editor. Some customization of pages allowed. Users can share file attachments. RSS feeds and email notification. Plans start at $5/month.
Consumer-oriented hosted wiki platform. Very easy to use. Focus on creating connections between communities of people interested in various topics. Free.
WYSIWYG editor. File sharing. Wikis can be public, private, or protected (i.e., anyone can view but only registered users can edit). Discussion forums available on every page. Can be integrated with a blog. Pages can be tagged for easy categorization. Advertising-supported version is free; ad-free versions range in price from $5 to $100 per month depending on features.
Oriented toward “enterprise-wide” applications, i.e., office intranets. WYSIWIG editor. Integrated with email and instant messaging, facilitating user notification of updates. Users can customize their home pages on the wiki and see recently changed pages in a sidebar. Can be hosted or installed via an appliance added to your network.