Quick Verdict

BookStack is easier to set up and has built-in authentication (email/password). Outline has a more modern UI and better real-time collaboration. Choose BookStack for simplicity and structured documentation. Choose Outline for a Notion-like team knowledge base with real-time editing. BookStack organizes content in a fixed hierarchy: Shelves → Books → Chapters → Pages. WYSIWYG and Markdown editors, built-in auth with LDAP/SAML/OIDC support, and role-based permissions. PHP/Laravel stack. Outline organizes content in flat collections with nested documents. Clean, modern UI with slash commands, real-time collaboration, and Markdown-native editing. Requires an external authentication provider (OIDC, Google, Slack). Node.js stack.

Feature BookStack Outline

Content structure Shelves → Books → Chapters → Pages Collections → nested documents

Editor WYSIWYG + Markdown toggle Markdown with slash commands

Real-time collaboration No (last-save-wins) Yes (simultaneous editing)

Built-in auth Yes (email/password) No (requires OIDC/OAuth)

SSO support LDAP + SAML + OIDC OIDC + Google + Slack + Azure + Discord

Search Built-in full-text PostgreSQL full-text

API REST REST

PDF export Built-in No native PDF export

Image management Built-in gallery Inline uploads

Templates Page templates Document templates

Public sharing Publicly viewable shelves/books Public document links

Mobile experience Responsive web Responsive web (more polished)

Language PHP (Laravel) Node.js (TypeScript)

BookStack is simpler to deploy. Two containers (app + database), default credentials work immediately, and built-in email/password auth means no external dependencies. Outline requires three containers (app + PostgreSQL + Redis) and an external authentication provider. You need to set up OIDC (via Authentik, Keycloak, etc.), Google OAuth, or Slack before anyone can log in. This adds meaningful setup complexity. BookStack wins on setup simplicity.

Resource BookSta