Compare
tela vs Outline — the AI-native, fully open-source option
Last updated June 30, 2026
Outline is genuinely good and the closest comparison — a polished, self-hostable markdown wiki. The differences are three: license, pricing model, and the entire AI layer. Outline is BSL-1.1 (source-available, not OSI open source) with no free cloud and no first-class agent/auto-doc layer; tela is AGPL with a free cloud tier, a built-in MCP server, and Atlas.
tela vs Outline, at a glance
| Feature | tela | Outline |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open source (AGPL-3.0) | BSL 1.1 — source-available, not OSI open source |
| Self-hostable | Yes — self-host free, plus a free cloud tier | Yes (no free cloud) |
| Ask your docs (AI) | Built in — semantic + full-text, answers with citations | Self-host + your own OpenAI key |
| Agents read & write (MCP) | Built in — agents read & write (39 scoped tools) | No official server (third-party only) |
| Generate docs from your code | Yes — Atlas builds a cited, coverage-checked wiki from git + Jira | No |
Why teams switch to tela
- The axis Outline never built — Atlas generates a cited wiki from your code, and a built-in MCP server makes agents first-class authors.
- A cleaner open-source story — AGPL (real OSI open source) versus BSL's source-available restrictions.
- A free cloud tier to evaluate, plus self-host whenever you want.
When Outline is the better choice
Outline is a mature, beautifully polished self-hosted wiki with a strong community. If you want a great self-hosted wiki today and do not need AI generation or agents, Outline is an excellent, stable choice.
Try tela
tela is an open-source (AGPL), self-hostable team wiki. Self-host it, or start on the free cloud tier at telawiki.com. See the MCP server docs for connecting your agents, or compare tela with other tools.
Outline pricing + BSL-1.1 repo license (verified 2026). tela facts current as of June 2026.