Acrylamid vs HTMLy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Acrylamid | HTMLy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 10 · At risk | 56 · Fair |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 280 | ★ 1,364 |
| First released | 2011 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Acrylamid and HTMLy?
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
HTMLy
HTMLy is an open-source databaseless flat-file blogging platform written in PHP. It is fast, lightweight, and stores all posts as text files for easy backup and migration.
- Databaseless flat-file storage
- Markdown content
- Multi-user roles
- Built-in themes
Acrylamid vs HTMLy: key differences
Acrylamid is written in Python, while HTMLy is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Acrylamid versus MIT for HTMLy. Acrylamid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for HTMLy. Acrylamid is the more established project (first released 2011), while HTMLy arrived in 2014. HTMLy has the considerably larger community, at 1,364 GitHub stars versus 280. HTMLy 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 HTMLy if…
- No database to maintain
- Fast and lightweight
Watch out for
- Limited plugin ecosystem
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Acrylamid or HTMLy better?
HTMLy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Acrylamid if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Acrylamid and HTMLy free and open-source?
Yes. Acrylamid is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and HTMLy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Acrylamid and HTMLy with Docker?
Acrylamid: check the project docs for container support. HTMLy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Acrylamid or HTMLy?
Acrylamid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for HTMLy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.