Template:Free MediaWiki wiki farms

These are wiki farms (current and former) that are powered by the now ubiquitous MediaWiki (MW) software, and importantly, offer permanently free wiki hosting to users. It should be noted that the services listed below might not offer hosting on solely a free basis; they might also choose to offer additional 'enhanced' wiki hosting options on a paid-for or commercial basis. Please see the parent category at category:MediaWiki wiki farms for other services who offer MW hosting on a non-free paid-for option.

The table below contains direct links to known free MediaWiki wiki farms. They also include the Special:Version link to see which version of the MediaWiki software is being used, along with any additional extensions. The Special:Export can be used by anybody to download the wikitext database for multiple pages. Paste in a list of the page names, or put in just a category name, and have it export the wikitext for all the pages in that category. Administrators on a wiki are able to use Special:Import to create multiple pages on a wiki from those exports. Database dumps for a whole wiki are usually linked at the bottom of Special:Statistics, although you may have to be logged-in to see it. Most free wiki farms use some form of on-wiki advertising for long-term funding. See also the opt-in advertising sections of Wikipedia: Funding Wikipedia through advertisements.

table of free MediaWiki wiki farms ^{(view / edit)}

⇓ wiki ⇓ farm	main URL(s)	MediaWiki version	mobile- view enabled	number of wikis	list of wikis, API info	wiki backup; Special:Export and database dumps	on-wiki help	bug reporting, suggestions	create a new wiki	funding method	dormant wiki abandon policy
EditThis.info	EditThis.info	1.15.1 (obsolete)	no		Categories, Wikis by size	export	Help	report a bug, feature requests	create a wiki	donate	none
Miraheze	meta.Miraheze.org	1.31.0 (current)	yes	2,923	gazetteer, WikiDiscover (API)	backups	help center	forum	request a wiki	donate	adopt or delete
ShoutWiki	ShoutWiki.com	1.29.0 (legacy)	no	10,510	list of wikis (API), Category:Wikis	export, and database download	Help	bug & issue tracker, forums, IRC	create a wiki	adverts	delete or adopt
Wikia (aka Fandom)	www.Wikia.com Fandom.Wikia.com	1.19.24 (obsolete)	yes, and apps	385,000	Category:Hubs	export, and database download	Help	forums	create new wiki	prolific animated adverts	keep and adoption

For all MediaWiki sites, a list of all wikis should also be available via the MediaWiki API (mw:API:Main page) database access facility at /w/api.php?action=query&list=listwikis (or /wiki/api.php?action=query&list=listwikis), and / or the WikiDiscover module at /w/api.php?action=wikidiscover, though some sites do not enable the required API modules or allow anonymous API read access.

• EditThis.info: — this MediaWiki host is 100% free. However, it appears to have been abandoned by their system administrators (the feature requests page has little to no responses, and the village pump has been blanked and protected). Also, this host is running an ancient version of MediaWiki, and thus is significantly lacking the latest features.
• Miraheze: — users should be aware that despite what is advertised, Miraheze developers do not allow wiki founders to fully manage the configuration settings. Some of the extensions are similar to that of the Wikimedia Foundation, but many of them are strictly off-limits.
• ShoutWiki: — social tools are one of ShoutWiki's fields of expertise, though before one is allowed to create a wiki site on ShoutWiki, you need to be logged in and be e-mail confirmed. A charge of $5.50 is required to remove adverts, which the site unfortunately relies on for one stream of funding. ShoutWiki staff have been known to be invasive to local users and communities. Many basic administrative features that are enabled by default in any MediaWiki installation, including XML imports and revision deletion, are restricted to staff only with no real explanation, and some extension or configuration setting is used to prevent the accounts of ShoutWiki staff from being blocked by any local admins.
• Wikia: — this commercial behemoth of a host is prolifically advert-spammed, with no paid removal option available, and the staff are not very open to founder configuration control. Relying on a unique and heavily customised yet outdated version of MediaWiki, there are many features that are available to staff-only, including traditional administrative features such as mass deletion and revision deletion. Additionally, some extension or configuration setting, possibly the same as ShoutWiki although not confirmed, is used to prevent Fandom staff accounts from being blocked by any local admins.

Former farms

• Referata: — this service specialized in Semantic wikis. The site had been dormant for many years, and was compromised by a malicious party in the spring of 2019. Service was partially restored briefly but ultimately went down again shortly thereafter.
• Wiki.Wiki: — in December 2016, the ability to create wikis was removed, and attempting to request a wiki returned a message saying "we are evaluating the wiki.wiki program right now and are not creating new wikis for a while". This message was present for over three months. Wiki.Wiki subsequently ceased to offer wiki hosting, notice was given to all existing editors.

External links

• Release notes for versions and their point releases — at MediaWiki.org
• MediaWiki version history — at English Wikipedia
• Version lifecycle — at MediaWiki.org
• Generators - MediaWiki release timeline, and utilisation by branch — at WikiApiary
• Hosting services - including a sortable table of wiki farms and hosting services — at MediaWiki.org
• Comparison of wiki hosting services — including MediaWiki and other wiki engines, at English Wikipedia