Slite vs Docmost: when a self-hosted team wiki fits
A team weighing a Slite renewal or a data residency requirement should first ask whether it needs a hosted service at all. Slite fits teams that want a managed knowledge base with no servers to patch, back up or upgrade, and that accept the vendor's hosting location and plan terms. Docmost fits a different need: teams that must keep pages, comments, page history and attachments inside their own cloud account, data center or private network, and that have people able to run a PostgreSQL database, a Redis instance, the Docmost application and a reverse proxy that supports WebSockets for the real-time editor. The Docmost installation documentation describes this stack, so the question is less about features and more about whether the organization can operate it.
Once the hosting question is settled, the decision turns on three things. The first is data location: confirm where Slite stores your content today, what your contracts and regulator expect, and whether the self-hosted Docmost instance, its file storage (local by default, or S3-compatible or Azure Blob storage) and its backups will sit in an approved location. The second is which controls must be on the free build. Docmost's free Community edition is AGPL-3.0 licensed, but its documentation lists SSO with SAML 2.0 or OIDC, LDAP, SCIM provisioning, MFA, page-level permissions and the Confluence, DOCX and PDF importers as paid-edition features. Check each control your security team requires against the edition you would run, and confirm the current terms on the Docmost pricing page before you commit.
The third is who will run the server. Ask who applies Docmost upgrades, rotates the APP_SECRET, which must be at least 32 characters, tests restores, and monitors the database. Those tasks recur for as long as the wiki runs, and they sit on the team's own payroll or with a service provider. Set that owner before you compare any per-seat price with the cost of an internal platform team. A short written scope with the chosen implementation partner, covering hosting, backup, upgrades and access control, will show whether the self-hosted path is cheaper and safer than renewing Slite.
Which option fits which team situation
This table matches common team situations to the better fit between Slite and self-hosted Docmost, and names the condition that drives each choice. Read each row against your own constraints, such as where content may be stored, how identity is managed and how much hosting work your team can carry. The main takeaway is that data location and identity requirements usually decide the question before feature lists do.
| Team situation | Better fit | Condition that drives the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Regulated team that must keep wiki content on its own servers | Docmost, self-hosted | Content stays in your infrastructure only if you run the Docker stack, PostgreSQL and Redis there. Confirm where attachments are stored, since local storage is the default. |
| Small team that wants no hosting or server upkeep | Slite, or Docmost cloud | Someone must own upgrades, backups and proxy settings for a self-hosted install. Docmost also offers a hosted version, so confirm its data location terms before choosing it. |
| Team that needs SCIM provisioning | Depends on plan, confirm before deciding | Docmost lists SCIM as a paid-edition feature on Enterprise. Confirm with Slite which plan includes SCIM, since its plan contents were not supplied here. |
| Team with SSO and MFA requirements | Docmost paid edition or Slite plan with SSO, confirm both | Docmost's paid edition lists SAML 2.0 or OIDC SSO and MFA. Check the Slite plan that includes SSO against your identity provider. |
| Team with a mostly Markdown or Notion-style document base | Docmost | Docmost imports Markdown, HTML, DOCX and Notion export ZIPs, and exports pages as Markdown or HTML, which lowers lock-in on content. |
| Team that needs diagrams and embeds in pages | Docmost | Docmost's README lists Draw.io, Excalidraw and Mermaid diagrams plus embeds from tools such as Airtable, Loom and Miro. Confirm each embed works in your environment. |
| Team that relies on Slite's AI answers over its own content | Confirm before deciding | Docmost's AI chat is a paid-edition feature, and its behavior with your content should be tested. Ask Slite what its AI features need and where that data is processed. |
| Team with strict licensing rules for open source | Docmost, with review of its license split | Docmost's core is AGPL-3.0, while code in its ee directories is under the Docmost Enterprise license. Legal review is needed before relying on that split. |
Where Docmost matches Slite for daily wiki work
For most day-to-day team wiki work, Docmost covers the same ground: real-time collaboration, spaces, groups, permissions management, comments, page history, search and file attachments are all listed in its README. Diagramming is also built in, with Draw.io, Excalidraw and Mermaid diagrams, and embeds from tools such as Airtable, Loom and Miro. For a team that writes runbooks, onboarding guides and team handbooks, that set of features is usually enough to move the working content without changing how people write.
The features that look identical on a feature list often behave differently in practice, so test them against your own content before you commit. Create a space with restricted page-level permissions, add a group with edit rights in one space and view rights in another, and confirm that the access rules hold for a user who follows a direct link. Upload a PDF or DOCX file with a distinctive phrase and check whether search finds it, since Docmost's search inside PDF and DOCX attachments is listed as a paid-edition feature. Embed a Draw.io diagram and a Miro board, then open the page from a different browser to see what renders.
Slite's exact feature set is not covered by the sources used for this page, so do not assume parity on any row above. Check each point in Slite's own documentation or with its sales team, and record what you find against the same test list. Pay particular attention to how Slite handles page-level permissions, search across attachments and embedded content, because those are the areas where a feature list is least likely to tell you what happens when a team uses it at scale.
Slite and Docmost capability by capability
This table compares Slite with Docmost across nine capabilities that matter for a team wiki. Slite entries ask you to confirm plan-level details with the vendor, since this comparison does not verify them. Docmost entries describe the free self-hosted Community edition and label paid-edition features, so you can see which controls depend on a Business or Enterprise subscription.
| Capability | Slite (hosted, per-user plans) | Docmost (AGPL-3.0 core, self-hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time editing | Confirm co-editing behavior and limits for your plan with Slite. | Included in Community. Any reverse proxy must have WebSockets enabled. |
| Spaces and permissions | Confirm space, channel and sharing controls for your plan with Slite. | Spaces, groups and permissions management in Community. Page-level permissions are a paid-edition feature. |
| Search | Confirm search scope, including attachments and any AI-generated answers, with Slite. | Search in Community. Search inside PDF and DOCX attachments is a paid-edition feature. |
| Diagrams and embeds | Confirm supported diagram tools and embed types with Slite. | Draw.io, Excalidraw and Mermaid diagrams and common embeds listed in the README. Confirm the edition for each before rollout. |
| Import and export | Confirm export formats and any export limits on your account with Slite. | Markdown, HTML and Notion import and Markdown or HTML export. Confluence, DOCX and PDF importers are paid-edition features. |
| SSO and MFA | Confirm supported SSO protocols and MFA options for your plan with Slite. | Email and password, LDAP, SAML or OIDC, and TOTP MFA. SAML, OIDC, LDAP and MFA are paid-edition features. |
| SCIM provisioning | Confirm whether SCIM is included and which plan tier includes it with Slite. | Paid-edition feature, listed with the Enterprise tier on Docmost's pricing page. |
| API access | Confirm API availability, token scopes and rate limits with Slite. | REST API with personal keys is a paid-edition feature. |
| Hosting model and license | Hosted per-user plans. Confirm data location and contract terms with Slite. | AGPL-3.0 core with free self-hosted Community. Business is $6 per seat per month, billed annually (Docmost pricing page). |
How Docmost's paid edition changes the SSO and MFA picture
The key point for this section is that Docmost's sign-in methods and its paid-edition features are not the same list. Docmost's documentation lists email and password, LDAP, SAML or OIDC single sign-on, and TOTP multi-factor authentication as authentication methods. The same documentation lists SSO with SAML 2.0 or OIDC, LDAP, SCIM provisioning, MFA and page-level permissions among paid-edition features. A control appearing in the first list does not mean it is available in the free Community build, so the two lists must be read side by side before any identity decision is made.
Whether this matters depends on what your identity program requires. A team that needs central joiner, mover and leaver handling, where access is removed automatically when someone leaves the company, will likely need SCIM provisioning, which is a paid-edition feature. A team that must enforce MFA for every user, rather than leave it optional, should also confirm that enforcement sits in the edition it plans to run. A small team with a handful of users, a single identity source and no enforcement mandate may accept the Community build and manage accounts by hand, provided that risk is written down and accepted by the right owner.
Before signing, ask the vendor for a written list that maps each control to an edition: SSO protocol, LDAP, SCIM, MFA enforcement, page-level permissions and audit logging. Pricing for the Business plan is listed per seat with a 10-seat minimum, and Enterprise adds SCIM and audit logs at custom pricing, so the license cost depends on which controls you need. Test the chosen edition in a non-production instance with a real identity provider, and confirm how a deprovisioned user loses access to existing sessions and attachments.
What data control and hosting change for the buyer
Slite is a hosted service, so the vendor runs the storage, backups and access paths. Docmost lets you decide where pages, attachments and the real-time editor run, which moves those controls onto your team and changes what you must verify.
Where pages and attachments live
Slite stores your docs in its hosted service. With Docmost you choose between your own cloud account, a data center, or the hosted cloud at app.docmost.com, which is run by the Docmost team rather than by you. If residency rules name a country or a provider, the hosted option may not satisfy them. Ask Slite where its data is stored and which regions and subprocessors are involved, and confirm the same for any Docmost hosting option you consider.
Local file storage by default
A default Docmost install keeps uploaded files on the local disk of the application host. That is simple to run but means your team owns backup, capacity and restore for those files alongside the PostgreSQL database. Teams that need object storage can configure S3-compatible or Azure Blob storage instead. Confirm which option you will use, who controls its encryption keys, and how restores of pages and attachments are tested together.
Reverse proxy must allow WebSockets
Docmost's real-time editor depends on WebSockets, so the reverse proxy or load balancer in front of it must pass WebSocket connections. A proxy that only forwards plain HTTP will load pages but break live co-editing in ways users may not report clearly. Include this in your network change plan and test concurrent editing on the actual proxy path before go-live.
Identity integration choices
Slite handles sign-in within its own service. Docmost's documentation lists email and password, LDAP, SAML or OIDC, and TOTP multi-factor authentication, but SAML 2.0, OIDC, LDAP, SCIM provisioning and MFA are paid-edition features. Confirm which identity provider you use, whether you need automated deprovisioning, and which edition covers those requirements before you commit.
Compliance evidence you collect
Moving to self-hosting shifts evidence work to you. Slite's own assurance reports cover its hosted service, while a self-hosted Docmost deployment needs your own records of access reviews, backup restore tests, patching and logging. Docmost lists audit logs and SIEM integration under its Enterprise plan. Ask your assessor which controls you must evidence and whether Docmost's audit logs meet them, since independent auditors, not DeployOpen or Docmost, issue any report.
What Slite's AI answers leave behind in your content
Settle one question before anyone turns on an AI answer: what does the answer leave behind? A prompt, the page content it draws on and the generated text can each sit in more than one place, including the vendor's inference infrastructure, subprocessors, application logs and the workspace itself. Do not assume how Slite handles AI data. Ask Slite to confirm in writing where prompts and outputs are processed, which subprocessors touch them, whether customer content is used to train models, how long prompts and responses are retained, and whether an admin can export or delete them. Ask for the answer for the specific plan you will buy, because AI availability and terms can differ between plans.
On the audit question, the paid edition of Docmost is the relevant comparison. Its documentation lists AI chat and MCP among paid-edition features, so the free Community edition does not include them. If you enable them on a Business or Enterprise plan, chat history, retrieved context and MCP connection records become a second store to govern alongside page content. Page export to Markdown or HTML covers the pages, but confirm whether AI conversation data is stored in the Docmost database, whether it is included in your backups, and whether deleting a user removes it. Check these points in the Docmost documentation and in a test workspace before enabling the feature for live content.
The decision is whether any AI feature may read your content at all and, if it may, where the model runs. If pages hold regulated or client-confidential material, restrict AI to a model you host or switch it off for those spaces. Treat Docmost's AI chat and MCP as a separate review item: identify the model endpoint, whether it is an external API or a model inside your network, what text leaves the workspace, and which identity an MCP client uses so that page permissions still apply. Record the outcome in your data processing records and set a review date for each model change. A hosted AI feature in Slite and a self-hosted one in Docmost each need their own approval, and neither should inherit the other's.
Which cost components change between a hosted wiki and Docmost
A hosted wiki bundles licence, hosting and upkeep into one per-user bill. Moving to Docmost splits that bill into a licence choice, infrastructure you operate, and one-time migration work, so each line needs its own quote.
Slite per-user subscription
Slite charges per user on a recurring plan, and the plan level determines which controls you get, such as SSO on its higher tier and SCIM provisioning on Enterprise. Confirm current pricing and plan contents directly with Slite, since plans change. The recurring cost grows with headcount and with any plan upgrade you need for identity controls. Ask Slite for a written renewal quote covering seats, the tier needed for SSO and SCIM, and any annual price increase terms.
Docmost Community at no license fee
The Community edition is free to self-host under AGPL-3.0, so there is no per-seat licence line. It does not include the paid-edition features such as SSO with SAML or OIDC, LDAP, MFA, page-level permissions, or the Confluence and DOCX importers. Your costs shift to servers, databases, backups and staff time. Confirm which features you need before assuming the free edition covers them.
Docmost Business per-seat fee
The Business plan is priced at $6 per seat per month billed annually, with a 10-seat minimum, according to Docmost's pricing page. It is recurring and scales with licensed seats, so the minimum applies even to small teams. It unlocks paid features such as SSO, LDAP, MFA and page-level permissions. Ask the vendor whether seat counts are based on active users, how seat changes mid-term are billed, and what support is included.
Docmost Enterprise custom quote
Enterprise pricing is custom and adds SCIM, audit logs, SIEM integration, security controls and the page verification workflow. Because it is quoted rather than listed, the recurring fee depends on your scope. Ask for the written terms covering term length, support levels, licensing for any Enterprise-only code, and what happens to the subscription if you stop paying. Compare this line with what SCIM and audit logging cost on your current Slite plan.
Server, PostgreSQL and Redis operation
Self-hosting moves the infrastructure bill onto your side: compute, storage, a PostgreSQL database and a Redis instance, which the Docker compose template runs with PostgreSQL 18 and Redis 8 images. Costs are mostly recurring and rise with the number of users, attachment volume and the availability you require. Factor in the time your platform team spends on patching, upgrades and monitoring, and ask any implementation partner for a written scope covering who operates each component.
Backup, restore and migration labor
Backups of the database, attachments and configuration are a recurring operational task, and restore testing is a separate, periodic cost. Migration labor is largely one-time: exporting from Slite, importing into Docmost, rebuilding the page tree, re-creating permissions and checking embeds and images. Export and import effort grows with the number of documents and attachments. Ask for a fixed-scope quote that lists the export, import, validation and handover tasks separately, and confirm who runs restore tests after go-live.
What a move from Slite to Docmost involves
The sequence takes a Slite workspace from an inventory of content and permissions to a self-hosted Docmost instance where spaces, pages, links, groups and embeds have been checked against the original. Each phase ends with a written check so the cutover decision rests on evidence.
Inventory spaces, pages and permissions in Slite
List every channel, doc and attachment in scope, along with who can view and edit each one, which groups exist, and which pages depend on embeds from other tools. Work from a Slite admin account and record the results in a spreadsheet or a planning page. Confirm with Slite which export options your plan and workspace expose, since the routes available to you determine the rest of the plan. The output is an agreed inventory with owners, retention decisions and a list of content that will be archived rather than moved.
Confirm the export route and run a test export
Export a representative sample of pages, including nested pages, images, tables and embedded content, in the format your workspace supports. Check whether attachments and images come through with the page, and whether the export keeps the page hierarchy. Docmost's import accepts Markdown and HTML files, including ZIP archives, so confirm that the sample produces files in one of those forms. The output is a test export that the team has opened and reviewed, with any gaps logged before the full export begins.
Deploy Docmost with the Docker compose template
Install Docmost on infrastructure you control using the Docker compose template from the installation documentation. The template runs Docmost with PostgreSQL and Redis, and it requires a long APP_SECRET. Decide where attachments will be stored, since local storage is the default and S3-compatible or Azure Blob storage are options. Enable WebSockets on your reverse proxy, because the real-time editor depends on them. The output is a running instance reachable over HTTPS, with backups configured for the database and file store.
Import content into Docmost spaces
Create the target spaces in Docmost, then import the exported files into each one. Import a small batch first to confirm that titles, nesting and attachments land where expected. Some importers, including the Confluence, DOCX and PDF importers, are paid-edition features, so confirm which importers your edition includes before you plan the file formats. The output is a populated set of spaces whose page counts match the inventory, with a log of any files that failed to import.
Rebuild the page tree and internal links
Reorganize pages into the final hierarchy and repair links that pointed to Slite URLs, since exported links often break after an import. Search the imported content for old Slite addresses and replace them with Docmost links. Assign a content owner to each space so that new and changed pages have a clear home. The output is a navigable tree where spot-checked links resolve to the intended page within the Docmost instance.
Re-create permissions and groups
Rebuild the groups from the inventory in Docmost, then apply space and page permissions to match the access model that was agreed in the first phase. Connect identity sources such as SSO or LDAP where your plan and edition provide them, and confirm which SSO and MFA features apply to your edition before relying on them. Test access with at least one account from each group, including accounts that should be denied. The output is a permission matrix that the content owners have signed off, with test results recorded.
Check embeds, images and attachments
Open a sample of pages that contained diagrams, embedded files, videos or external tool embeds, and confirm that each one renders in Docmost. Check that images load from storage and that attachments open for users in the right groups. Diagrams drawn in Slite may need to be re-exported or rebuilt in Docmost's supported diagram tools, so log each case and decide whether to rebuild or archive it. The output is a checklist of embed and image results, with every failure either fixed or accepted by the content owner.
Run a pilot, then switch users over
Invite a small pilot group to work in Docmost for a defined period, collecting feedback on search, editing and navigation. Fix the issues they report, then communicate the cutover date and a read-only period for Slite if your contract allows it. Keep the final Slite export and the Docmost backups as a record. The output is a signed-off cutover decision and an archived copy of the source content, so the team can answer later questions about what was moved.
Questions buyers ask before moving from Slite
Is moving from Slite to Docmost mostly an effort question or a cost question?
For most teams the larger variable is effort, because the license line is only one part of the comparison. Docmost's Community edition is free to self-host, while its Business plan is listed at $6 per seat per month billed annually with a 10-seat minimum, according to Docmost's pricing page. Your Slite spend, by contrast, recurs per user on whatever plan you use. The one-time work includes exporting content, rebuilding the page tree, re-creating permissions and checking embeds, plus the recurring work of running servers, PostgreSQL backups and upgrades. Ask any implementation partner for a quote built from a written scope, and compare it against your current Slite invoices over the same period.
How long does a Slite to Docmost migration take?
The duration depends mostly on how much content you have, how deeply nested your page tree is, how many permission rules must be recreated by hand, and how many embeds and images need checking. Docmost's import dialog accepts Markdown and HTML files, including ZIP archives, and pages or whole spaces can be exported as Markdown or HTML, so exports themselves are rarely the slow step. Teams with a small, well-organized workspace usually finish faster than teams with years of cross-linked pages. No duration figure for this migration has been published here, so ask for a timeline tied to a written inventory of your spaces, pages and integrations before you commit.
Can our own team migrate from Slite to Docmost without outside help?
A capable team can do it without outside help if it has time, an owner for the project and at least one person comfortable with Linux, Docker and reverse proxies. The work breaks into a content export, an import into Docmost spaces, a rebuild of the page hierarchy and links, a permissions review and a post-move check of embeds. The risk is less in the import itself and more in the gaps: links that break, permissions that are not re-created, and integrations that no longer point at the right place. An outside implementation partner can take on a fixed-scope piece, such as the server build or the cutover checks, while your staff keep the content work.
What skills does our staff need to run a self-hosted Docmost?
Plan for someone who can administer a Linux server, run Docker Compose, manage a PostgreSQL database and configure a reverse proxy. Docmost's installation documentation describes a compose template that runs Docmost with PostgreSQL 18 and Redis 8 images, requires an APP_SECRET of at least 32 characters, and stores files locally by default, with S3-compatible or Azure Blob storage as options. The reverse proxy must have WebSockets enabled for the real-time editor. Your staff also need a tested backup and restore routine for the database and file storage, and a process for applying Docmost upgrades. Confirm these responsibilities with your operations team before the decision.
Do SSO and SCIM require the paid Docmost edition?
Single sign-on is partly available in the free edition and partly restricted. Docmost's documentation lists email and password, LDAP, SAML or OIDC single sign-on and TOTP multi-factor authentication as authentication methods, but it lists SSO with SAML 2.0 or OIDC, LDAP, SCIM provisioning and MFA among paid-edition features. Its pricing page places SCIM in the Enterprise tier, and it lists audit logs, SIEM integration and security controls there too. Check the current feature table before you assume what your identity requirements need, and map each requirement to a specific edition in writing.
How does Docmost's AGPL-3.0 license differ from its enterprise code?
Docmost's core is licensed under AGPL-3.0, while code in its ee directories is under the Docmost Enterprise license, according to the project README. In practice, this means the core can be self-hosted under AGPL terms, but features that live in the enterprise directories, such as those in the paid-edition list, require a commercial agreement. AGPL-3.0 has obligations that apply when you modify and offer the software over a network, so have your legal team review how any changes you make would be shared. Confirm which features you need sit in the core and which sit under the Enterprise license before you rely on them.
What should we check first if the migration is for compliance or data residency?
Start by documenting where Slite data is stored today, where Docmost would run, and where backups and attachments would sit. Self-hosting keeps the wiki inside your own infrastructure, but it moves operational responsibility to you, including access logging, patching and backup encryption. Map the controls your auditors ask about to the specific features and configurations you will run, and gather evidence for them. DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence for compliance assessments, but it does not issue audit reports or certifications, so independent auditors and certification bodies make the final determination.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate and move your team wiki
DeployOpen plans, implements, customizes, integrates, hardens, backs up and documents self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. For Slite vs Docmost, we start with a written scope that tests your actual spaces, permissions, SSO needs and embeds before anything is moved.
How we scope
- Inventory which Slite spaces, channels and docs must move, and which can be archived instead
- Map current permissions, groups and guest access to Docmost spaces and page-level rules
- Confirm which Slite plan features you rely on, including SSO, SCIM and AI answers, and which Docmost edition covers them
How we build
- Deploy Docmost in your environment with PostgreSQL, Redis, file storage and a reverse proxy that passes WebSocket traffic
- Test a sample export-and-import of representative pages, images, diagrams and embedded files before the full run
- Configure SSO, MFA and backup routines, then run security testing against the deployed wiki
How we hand over
- Document the deployment, configuration keys, backup and restore steps and the page tree rebuild process
- Provide a migration log that records which content moved, what was rebuilt by hand and what remains open
- Walk your administrators through permissions, user onboarding and the day-to-day admin tasks
How we support
- Engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer
- Ask for a written quote that lists each component, the scope it covers and what is one-time versus recurring
