Acrylamid vs Dotclear
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Acrylamid | Dotclear |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 10 · At risk | 62 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 280 | ★ 46 |
| First released | 2011 | 2003 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Acrylamid and Dotclear?
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
Dotclear
Dotclear is a long-standing open-source blogging engine designed to be easy to install and use. It offers themes, plugins, and full control over publishing without proprietary lock-in.
- Easy installation
- Theme and plugin support
- Multi-blog management
- Built-in media handling
Acrylamid vs Dotclear: key differences
Acrylamid is written in Python, while Dotclear is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Acrylamid versus GPL-2.0 for Dotclear. Acrylamid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Dotclear. Dotclear is the more established project (first released 2003), while Acrylamid arrived in 2011. Acrylamid has the considerably larger community, at 280 GitHub stars versus 46. Dotclear lists first-class Docker deployment; Acrylamid does not.
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 Dotclear if…
- Simple to set up
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less known outside France
Frequently asked questions
Is Acrylamid or Dotclear better?
Neither is universally better. Acrylamid has the larger community, while Dotclear is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Acrylamid and Dotclear free and open-source?
Yes. Acrylamid is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Dotclear under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Acrylamid and Dotclear with Docker?
Acrylamid: check the project docs for container support. Dotclear: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Acrylamid or Dotclear?
Acrylamid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Dotclear. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.