Minecraft Wiki:Wiki host comparison

This page is a rough overview of the discussion between different host options and various considerations to take into mind.

Ads
All platforms will be monetized by ads in some form. For the semi-independent hosts (Bulba and ABXY), the number and type of ads will depend on negotiations between said host and ad networks.
 * Fandom: Many ads, including in the header, right sidebar, below the article, as a floating video, and in-article ads not always recognizable as such
 * wiki.gg: Ads above and below the article, as well as right sidebar. Restricted to games published by its parent company, Freedom Games
 * Bulba: Sidebars (left and right); floating video; floating ad banner (bottom); in-article ads (recognizable as such, unlike some of Fandom's)
 * ABXY: Relatively fewer ads above and below article

You may visit wikis hosted by the three host options to get a better sense of how ads function under each respective host:
 * Terraria Wiki - Wiki.gg
 * Bulbapedia - Bulbapedia
 * Zelda Wiki - ABXY

Logged-in editors do not get ads on wiki.gg and Bulba, or on Fandom if they have PRO active. They do get ads with ABXY, however.

Cookie notice

 * Fandom: Does not have a button to decline all cookies, and instead requires you to open detailed cookie settings
 * wiki.gg: Small banner
 * Bulba: Screen blocking, with a button to decline all cookies and dismiss the popup with a single click
 * ABXY: Some ABXY wikis do not have any cookie notice, and those that do do not provide the option to decline cookies, which is a legal requirement in some countries due to the use of non-essential cookies in relation to the displayed ads

Server stability
Good on all platforms considering MCW-size traffic.

CDN around the globe
The wiki has readers from across the globe, so global CDN is necessary to ensure reasonable response times.
 * Fandom: Pages have a global CDN. Images are hosted from US and Germany.
 * wiki.gg: Yes
 * Bulba: Yes
 * ABXY: Images have a global CDN. Pages are hosted from US.

SEO impact
All alternative hosts other than Fandom will lead to decreased SEO (rankings in Google search results). All pages will need re-structuring to show up in Google, as Fandom won't remove the existing wiki and Google removes results with duplicated content. It's not clear how the SEO of different hosts compare with each other.

Editorial control

 * Fandom: Has overridden community content on occasions; see w:c:mcdonalds:Special:Diff/29634 and https://twitter.com/humanstein/status/1670125120822681600
 * All other platforms grant full editorial control

Policy control (legal)
–

Legal responsibility
–

Skin control
Amount of control wiki community members have over the skin (appearance of the wiki).
 * Fandom: Limited to FandomDesktop with restrictions (e.g. no customization of basic site elements or ads)
 * wiki.gg: Limited to Vector 2010; see also wiki.gg's customization policy. Less restrictions than Fandom.
 * Bulba/ABXY: Full control over the skin

Mobile support

 * wiki.gg: There is no official mobile skin; wikis are capable of making their content responsive on their own terms. An official responsive skin is on the to-do list but with no ETA.
 * All other platforms have a mobile skin, or allow one to be created.

Custom domain

 * Fandom and wiki.gg do not allow custom domains (i.e. the wiki will be at minecraft.fandom.com or minecraft.wiki.gg).
 * For Bulba and ABXY, the wiki will have to have its own custom URL.

Allows language wikis
All platforms can support language wikis, as well as shared file repositories (so that files uploaded on a common wiki such as EN can be accessed by other language wikis).

International support
–

Anonymous editing
Allowing logged-out users to edit lowers the barrier to entry and can encourage more people to contribute, but also increases the amount of vandalism.
 * Fandom: Disabled as ad networks require to strictly follow COPPA
 * wiki.gg: Can be enabled upon request
 * Bulba: Will be disabled, due to same COPPA factor
 * ABXY: Can be enabled

Extension control

 * Fandom and wiki.gg have certain limitations on which MediaWiki extensions can be installed on the wiki.
 * Bulba and ABXY will allow almost any extension unless it creates major issues like server instability.

Access analytics
–

Change config
Changing MediaWiki config variables. -TBA-

View file pages
Fandom prevents logged-out users from accessing file pages due to SEO reasons, preventing them from accessing image revision history. All other platforms allow logged-out users to access file pages.

Miser mode
Miser mode disables certain database-intensive features to reduce server load. This results in certain effects like special page reports bein updated slower or never.

This is enabled on Fandom; wiki.gg and ABXY will have it disabled; and the status on Bulba is unknown (depending on server resources).