Template:Free MediaWiki wiki farms
These are wiki farms (current and former) that are powered by the now ubiquitous MediaWiki (MW) wiki engine software, and importantly, offer permanently free wiki site hosting to users. It should be noted that the services listed below might not offer wiki hosting on solely a free basis; they might also choose to offer additional 'enhanced' wiki hosting options on a paid-for, commercial, or enterprise basis. Please see the parent category at category: MediaWiki wiki farm 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 site are able to use Special:Import to create multiple pages on a wiki site from those exports. Database dumps for a whole wiki are occasionally linked at the bottom of Special:Statistics (standard on Wikia), 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 last updated: 22 June 2023.
For all MediaWiki sites, a list of all wiki sites should also be available via the MediaWiki API (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. However, it remains a valid option as a free wiki host, particularly for those who do not require all of the latest 'bells and whistles' features found on the newer MediaWiki releases.
- Miraheze: — originally seeded from the now defunct Orain wiki farm, 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 of this British farm are similar to that of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF), but some of them are off-limits. Miraheze staff have also been known to interfere with local community operations. Miraheze offers 18 skins.
- Referata: — this host specialises in Semantic wikis. Users should be aware that the site appears to have become a dormant wiki hosting provider, as the feature requests page has been abandoned for some time, and the recent changes is usually filed with account creations.
- 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 US$5.50 is required to remove adverts, which the site relies on for one stream of funding. Some highly technical features are available to staff only. ShoutWiki staff consists of highly experienced MediaWiki developers and editors. ShoutWiki offers 15 skins, including some ShoutWiki-developed skins.
- Wikia: — now known as Fandom, this highly 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 (and for a long time, long-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 is used to prevent Fandom staff accounts from being blocked by any local admins.
- Former farms (wiki hosts)
- Wiki.Wiki: — as of December 2016, the ability to create wikis has been removed. Attempting to request a wiki returns a message saying "we are evaluating the wiki.wiki program right now and are not creating new wikis for a while". This message has been present for over three months, and filing a request returns absolutely nothing. Wiki.Wiki subsequently ceased to offer wiki hosting, notice was given to all existing editors.
- Wikkii: — former British wiki farm which vanished without warning mid-2014.
- External links
- Release notes for versions and their sub-point releases — at MediaWiki.org
- MediaWiki version history — at the 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 the English Wikipedia