Acrylamid vs BlogEngine.NET
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Acrylamid | BlogEngine.NET |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 10 · At risk | 13 · At risk |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MS-PL |
| Language | Python | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 280 | ★ 985 |
| First released | 2011 | 2007 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Acrylamid and BlogEngine.NET?
Acrylamid
Acrylamid is a static blog compiler written in Python that focuses on fast incremental rebuilds and supports multiple markup languages. It generates a complete static site that can be hosted anywhere.
- Incremental rebuilds
- Multiple markup formats
- Static output
- Jinja2 templating
BlogEngine.NET
BlogEngine.NET is an open-source blogging platform built on ASP.NET that is easy to set up and customize. It works without a database using XML storage, or with SQL databases for larger blogs.
- XML or SQL storage
- Widget and theme system
- Multi-author support
- Built-in comment handling
Acrylamid vs BlogEngine.NET: key differences
Acrylamid is written in Python, while BlogEngine.NET is built with C#. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Acrylamid versus MS-PL for BlogEngine.NET. Acrylamid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BlogEngine.NET. BlogEngine.NET is the more established project (first released 2007), while Acrylamid arrived in 2011. BlogEngine.NET has the considerably larger community, at 985 GitHub stars versus 280.
Why pick each one
Choose Acrylamid if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose BlogEngine.NET if…
- Good fit for the .NET stack
- No database required option
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is Acrylamid or BlogEngine.NET better?
Neither is universally better. BlogEngine.NET has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Acrylamid and BlogEngine.NET free and open-source?
Yes. Acrylamid is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and BlogEngine.NET under MS-PL. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Acrylamid and BlogEngine.NET with Docker?
Acrylamid: check the project docs for container support. BlogEngine.NET: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Acrylamid or BlogEngine.NET?
Acrylamid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BlogEngine.NET. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.