Outline

Workspace 6.8/10

Fast collaborative team wiki and knowledge base that is open source and free to self-host (the hosted cloud is paid after a 30-day trial).

Credit window: 30 days
Card required: No

Outline scores 6.8/10 for free value in Workspace. The main constraint: Self-hosting the open-source code is free for any number of users. Hosted cloud is paid ($10/mo+) with only a 30-day free trial.

Category Workspace Kind Open-source team knowledge base / wiki Caveats The convenient hosted version is not free beyond a 30-day trial; free use requires self-hosting (Docker/Node setup). Card required No Eligibility anyone

Free value score

6.8 / 10

Show the math

Overall 6.8/10

value = 6.8/100

weighted_components_v1

Collab 8/10

value = 300 $/mo

fixed_log_v1

Content 6.3/10

value = 6.3/100

policy_score_v1

Auto 4.3/10

value = 4.3/100

policy_score_v1

Key metrics

unlimited collaborators Seats stated_unlimited_capped; rating_value=5

structured content workspace Content derived_from_frontmatter; rating_value=3

integrations/workflows described Auto derived_from_frontmatter; rating_value=3

What you get

Open-source code, free to self-host for unlimited users

Real-time collaborative markdown editor

Slack/Notion-style search and structure

Docker-based deployment documented

Gotchas

30-day cloud trial

The hosted cloud is not free; cloud accounts get exactly 30 days free, after which the workspace becomes read-only until a paid plan is added (starting $10/mo).
Self-hosting required for free use

Permanent free access requires running the open-source code yourself (Docker/Node); there is no free hosted tier.
No managed backups or HA on self-host

Self-hosted deployments are responsible for their own database backups, uptime, SSL, and upgrades — no managed operations from Outline.
No cloud SSO/SAML on free self-host

Enterprise SSO features (SAML/SCIM) are available only on paid cloud plans, not included in the open-source build by default.
Open-source license (BSL) restrictions

Outline uses a Business Source License; commercial self-hosted use beyond the license terms may require a commercial agreement.

Sources

"Price tier(annual pricing available) | $10 per month Start Trial | $79 per month Start Trial | $249 per month Start Trial | No. team members | 1 – 10 | 11 – 100 | 101 – 200"
https://www.getoutline.com/pricing
"When you create a team your first 30 days are free. Once this trial period elapses your knowledge base becomes read-only until a payment method is added. During this time you can export all of your documents."
https://www.getoutline.com/pricing
"Please be aware of the BSL license restrictions of the community edition before installing Outline – selling, reselling, or hosting Outline as a service is a breach of the terms and automatically terminates your rights under the license."
https://docs.getoutline.com/s/hosting/doc/license-restrictions-f9aq6uEL3H
"Outline is BSL 1.1 licensed."
https://github.com/outline/outline

wiki knowledge-base self-hostable open-source docs

Open service Source ← All Workspace

Alternatives

Same category · similar quota

Notion for StartupsNotion for Startups · startup · Startup workspace credits

2.9

Eligible startups get 1-6 months free of Notion's Business Plan including Notion AI, depending on partner affiliation.

Checked 28d ago

Trial

AFFiNEAFFiNE · freemium · Open-source docs + whiteboard + database workspace

6.8

MIT-licensed local-first knowledge workspace combining documents, whiteboards and databases on one canvas, with a free-forever cloud tier and self-hosting.

3 members

Checked 28d ago

ClickUpClickUp · paid · Paid plan

6.8

Unlimited storage, unlimited tasks/lists, Docs, whiteboards, dashboards, time tracking, unlimited integrations, Gantt

Checked 26d ago

EmbeddingsPaid onlyAnnual